


Fingers crossed

by nishiki



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Diego Hargreeves, Budding Romance, Denial of Feelings, Detox, Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Drug Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Drugs, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Romance, Feelings, Fluff, Forced Prostitution, Hurt, Hurt Diego Hargreeves, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Drug Addiction, Past Drug Use, Past Relationship(s), Pre-Canon, Pre-Season/Series 01, Pre-Season/Series 01 Diego Hargreeves, Pre-Season/Series 01 Klaus Hargreeves, Prostitution, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Recreational Drug Use, References to Drugs, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, Sobriety, Soft Diego Hargreeves, conflicted feelings, old feelings resurface, past abusive relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22989976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nishiki/pseuds/nishiki
Summary: When Diego Hargreeves gets a call from the hospital about his brother Klaus, this time he comes with an ultimatum.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 80
Kudos: 342





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> I always try to go for short summaries. It's hard to describe what you will get in this fic anyway. It will deal with Diego and Klaus' old feelings for each other, a budding romance of the past that they never were brave enough to explore together. It will deal with the aftermath of an abusive relationship and with a kind of role reversal when the brothers find themselves in a situation where Diego needs Klaus' help for once.

The air inside the gym was stuffy and warm. The sound of fists hitting leather or feet barely touching the ground after a quick little jump was the orchestra to Diego Hargreeves’ everyday life. At day he was just another boxer in  _ the Fighting Line Boxing Gym _ , adored by some, feared as an opponent by many. He strolled these halls with pride filling his chest when his eyes would catch on the various posters advertising his fights and even more so when he would see the glass cabinet with the trophies he had won for the gym. 

Diego ‘The Kraken’ Hargreeves might never be at the top of the list in his own family of misfits and outcasts, never be Number One in the eyes of his father, but here inside his own world of sweat and blood, he was a champion - one of the best. People knew his name and gifted him smiles when he would pass by. They wanted his advice and his help. He had their respect and admiration. Here, he was not Number Two, not just a tool or a weapon in Sir Reginald Hargreeves’ arsenal but a real person who was worth something outside of his powers. Inside of the ring, his powers meant nothing - just the skills he had earned with hard work and endurance. Unlike Luther, he had not been gifted his strength or his skill in combat. He had worked hard to be where he was right now. 

At night, however, he would transform back into Number Two, the vigilante who would roam the seedy parts of town looking for a crime to stop and people to save. He didn't have much both in terms of a social life and worldly possessions but it was enough and he was happy. It was a good life. 

Last month, Eudora had broken up with him and kicked him to the curb.

Sure, the end of their relationship had put a damper on his happiness in general but there was nothing that could be done about that anyway, right? This time, Eudora had made it pretty fucking clear that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. This time, it really was the end and even someone as sneaky as Diego Hargreeves would not be able to find a way back into her life or her bed. 

His own bed was now a pile of old pallets with a mattress on top in a small niche inside the boiler room of the boxing gym. It was not nearly as nice as Eudora’s bed in her apartment in Soho had been but it was his and he liked it. After leaving home, he had drifted around, sleeping in the car he had bought from the money he had saved since childhood and that still served him as a trusty companion to this day. Later, he had slept in the dorms of the police academy where he had met Eudora and then, when they had hit things off and after he had been kicked out of yet another academy, he had pretty much lived with her - even though they had refrained from putting a label on it. 

Sure, they had been boyfriend and girlfriend - a real couple, but Diego had always been afraid of calling it what it was. He couldn't explain why. 

This boiler room … it was his first apartment. His first home away from home. His own space. It wasn't much, it wasn't great but he liked it here and, after all, he spent most his time here anyway, right? It was a good deal he had going on with Al, the owner of  _ the Fighting Line Boxing Gym _ . He liked that feeling of trust that Al had in him. He liked it that people liked him. He liked feeling like the heart and soul of this place. Maybe, he thought, when Al would go into retirement, he would take over for him. He would like that. 

He was at the side of the ring coaching one of their teenagers when the call came. 

"Yes, like that, Ramirez!" He yelled at the smaller of the two teens as the boy blocked the punch from his friend who was much taller and quicker on his feet than him. It was an unfair fight but, in Diego’s experience, there was no such thing as an unfair fight with the right techniques. "Don't forget your feet! Yes, like this!"

"Hargreeves!" Al’s voice called out from his spot behind the front desk where he could typically be found reading the paper and marking the page with the horse races. "Got a call for you!" 

He couldn't hide his confusion at the message but turned to the boys again. "Take a break until I’m back, okay? You're doing great Ramirez!" The smaller boy gave him a shaky thumbs-up. He had started training with them only a month ago to get over his anger issues after he had apparently punched a teacher. He hurried over to the phone, still confused who might call him at the boxing gym. Only a handful of people knew that he would be here during the day - one of them would be Eudora. 

However, as he picked up the phone, his world was about to turn completely on its head and he didn't know it yet. 

"Hargreeves" He answered the phone and tried to swallow down the weirdness of answering a phone like this.  _ Hargreeves  _ … The name always left a bad taste in his mouth and more than once had he thought about changing it. Then again, his legal name was not even Diego. Might as well change that too while he was at it. 

"Mr. Diego Hargreeves?" The voice of a woman answered him. 

"One and the same." 

"I’m calling from Central West Hospital." His heart dropped at the sound of it but a voice in the back of his mind told him to be vigilant and not cave in yet again. "Are you the brother of a Mr. Klaus Hargreeves?"

※※※※※※※

He loved the hustle and bustle of the boxing gym. He didn't love the hustle and bustle of a hospital, though. Especially not a hospital his brother was currently in. His brother whom he had last seen at the age of 19, roundabout four years ago. The brother whom he had always been the closest to in his family. Growing up, Diego remembered them being attached at the hip, doing everything together, sharing secrets and planning mischief. Everyone always had someone in their family. Allison had Luther. Vanya, Five, and Ben had each other. And he had had Klaus. He was the one person Diego knew better than himself and yet he had not seen him for four years.

As he sat on one of those uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting area of the emergency room, the last time he had seen Klaus was still playing over and over in his head. And, if he was honest, it had never stopped looping behind his eyes. Still, he was here now - the person Klaus had written down as his emergency contact. It wasn't much, perhaps but it was a sliver of hope that he and his brother might find a way to rekindle their lost relationship. 

The hours he spent sitting in that waiting area crawled by slowly and left Diego feeling antsy, helpless, and lost. So, when a middle-aged and tired-looking doctor approached him, he all but jumped from his chair, his body taut with nervous energy.

"How’s my brother?" He demanded to know before the doctor even had the opportunity to greet him. The response was an understanding little smile tugging on the older gentleman’s lips. Years in this profession had left him with enough empathy for two lives when it came to family members of patients. 

"He will pull through." Dr. Johnson - if the nametag was to be believed - answered calmly and led Diego back to the chair he had just gotten off from to take a seat beside him. It was a tactic to calm down the relatives of patients. Diego knew this tactic from his days at the police academy and yet he allowed it as he sat back down again with the doctor, despite his heart racing inside the narrow cage of his chest like a Kolibri.

"What happened?"

"He was found in an alleyway behind a bar earlier today by a group of teenagers." Dr. Johnson began the story calmly and with empathy lacing his words. Diego never failed to be amazed by people in this profession who saw the worst of the worst each and every day, who saw junkies like his own brother and yet remained loving and empathetic instead of writing people like Klaus off and ignoring them. It didn't matter to Dr. Johnson, as it seemed, that his brother Klaus was throwing away his life. He would still save it vigilantly and he would still meet the loved ones of every junkie with kindness and care. He didn't know if he would be able to do the same after that long a time. Maybe it was for the better that he never became a cop. 

"It appears that he has been beaten up by someone before overdosing on heroin. The tests are not yet complete, but it is possible that the drug was laced with something else. Sadly, that’s not uncommon these days. Some dealers will lace their drugs with all kinds of other substances to be able to sell more but buy smaller amounts from the drug cartels." 

Diego nodded sharply. He knew all about it from his time at the police academy. Those were the ideas that had been keeping him up at night in his dorm room. The year he had been at the police academy, there had been a scandal of drug dealers lacing their heroin with rat poison. From that moment on, all he had been able to think about was Klaus injecting himself with heroin laced with rat poison. 

"When he arrived, he was barely clinging to life but we managed to wash the drugs out of his system and fix most of his injuries in his current state." 

"Fuck, Klaus…" He muttered to himself and gained an understanding pat on his shoulder from Dr. Johnson. 

"He is asleep now and should be able to be released sometime tomorrow depending on his condition - Of course, only if his condition doesn’t worsen overnight. However, I would implore you to make your brother go into a rehab facility and not let him leave the hospital on his own. He will need rest to recover. He is in no state of going back to his life on the streets." 

Despite knowing that his brother would not simply agree to go into rehab, Diego nodded nonetheless. in fact, he felt a sense of shame and utter embarrassment that Dr. Johnson felt the need of telling him all this. Klaus was his brother, after all. It should be understood that Diego would take care of him and yet … Was it? "I will try my best." He replied. "Can I go see him now?" 

Not five minutes later, Diego stood in the doorway to his brother’s small hospital room. Klaus looked small in the bed he was lying in. Klaus, his larger than life brother looked like a child in this bed - frail and weak and he absolutely hated it. At least he was not hooked up to some machine despite Dr. Johnson telling him that Klaus had stopped breathing on his way to the hospital. Now he seemed to be breathing just fine even though it sounded rough from where he was standing.

Most of his brother’s body was obscured by bandages. The doc hadn't lied. It was pretty bad but at least there were no broken bones. Surely, his brother would soon be up to no good again like usual. The thought of allowing Klaus to go back to his own life left him feeling uneasy, though. Naivete was not Diego’s modus operandi. Dr. Johnson could say all he wanted how he advised Diego to get his brother the help he needed but Diego knew his brother better than anyone else and he knew that there was no chance that Klaus would do so. If he would bring him to the nearest rehab facility, he would just leave again and be on his merry way. Yet, what other choices did he have? 

_ You could always just leave again and act as if you never got the message _ , a voice in the back of his head argued.  _ He walked out of your life, after all. Maybe it's time you walk out of his now.  _

Though the thought was tempting, Diego walked over to the bed and took his seat next to Klaus on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs they had reserved for the visitors of the patients in this hospital. Four years had passed without any sign of life from his brother and he would be damned if he would walk out of Klaus’ life like this now. 

**-End of Chapter 1-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to share your opinions on this story with me. I love reading your comments. It's what keeps me going <3


	2. Chapter 2

The thirst for coffee - fresh, hot, steaming, black coffee - had urged Diego to leave the room his brother was kept in about two hours into his stay at Klaus’ bedside. The realization that no one else from their family would turn up at the hospital to see if Klaus was okay, had hit around half an hour ago and left him feeling numb and betrayed on his brother’s behalf. It was a weird mix of emotions that Diego couldn't quite explain even to himself. He had asked one of the nurses to call the house and then Vanya and inform them about Klaus’ situation and, by all means, he shouldn't be too surprised about the lack of attention from the family that this experience got. 

Their father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, had made it painfully clear to all seven of his adopted children, that he applied Darwin’s law to his method of child-raising. In the wild, you either adapt or you perish. There was no in-between. No grey area and no room for love and affection. In Sir Reginald’s eyes, there was only black or white. You are either useful or useless and where you landed on that scale determined your place in the hierarchy of the family. 

And while Diego had often toed the line between usefulness and uselessness to his father's cause, Klaus and his sister Vanya had been held firmly in the latter category since early childhood; Vanya for the sole reason that she was ordinary and didn't possess any powers and Klaus because he had willingly put himself into this category with making himself as useless as possible to their father when he started numbing his own powers with alcohol and, later on, drugs of all variety.

So, by applying this logic and knowing his father's way of thinking, it seemed only natural that he had not shown up to the hospital and that he would continue to refuse to show up. Sir Reginald might as well have declared Klaus dead the moment he had kicked Number Four out of the house at age eighteen. 

Klaus had been, in fact, the last of them to leave the house and he wouldn't have moved out at all, had their father not kicked him out violently. Or rather, if their father had not made Luther kick out his own brother. There was no telling what tipped the scales in Klaus’ disfavor at the end. He had probably stolen from the old man one too many times. Reginald had stopped caring about Klaus’ drug use or his antics years ago and would have just continued to ignore his existence in the house - on the rare occasions that Klaus had actually been home - if nothing else had happened to anger Reginald against Klaus. 

Klaus had never said what caused their father to finally kick him to the curb but Diego firmly believed that it was not of importance anyway. Klaus would have been kicked out or left sooner or later regardless. As teenagers, they had often speculated that Klaus would actually be the first one to leave the mansion for good to go god-knows-where and start something fresh and new. He had never asked his brother what made him stay behind for so much longer than even Diego or Vanya. After that, however, Klaus had been living on the streets, unable to secure a stable job and a place for himself, with no wishes and dreams for his future and only the next high to chase, his potential wasted. 

In a way, Diego could understand why their father had kicked Klaus out and wanted nothing to do with his fourth child anymore, regardless of the catalyst for the decision. Wherever Klaus went, he left ash in his wake. He was dancing on a tightrope between death and life from the moment he had been born and more often than not, Klaus seemed to be the harbinger of misfortune and death himself. He was the one riding on a pale horse.

Yet, here Diego was, returning to the hospital room where that same man was supposed to be resting only to find him knocking over his IV pole in a vain attempt of getting out of the bed. 

"And where do you think you’re going?"

His words startled a sharp, colorful little curse out of Klaus’ mouth. He pressed his right hand to his chest as he heaved a breath and then looked at Diego - the accusation clear in his green eyes. Klaus took a moment to collect himself after being startled so badly by his brother before he managed to manufacture a forced little grin. 

"Diego!" He called out with fake cheer. It stung - knowing that Klaus needed to fake it when, a lifetime ago, they had been joined at the hips. "Fancy seeing you here! How’s the Mrs? What brings you to my humble abode, dearest brother?"

"The hospital called me," Diego replied and entered the room, at last, ignoring everything else his brother spouted. "I am your emergency contact."

"Oh … yes," Klaus muttered to himself and if he wouldn't be Klaus Hargreeves, Diego would almost be willing to say that he looked a bit flustered right now. "I need to fix that." Another blow to the wall he had erected around his bleeding heart and one Diego ignored like the one before as he walked over to the bed. They had told each other everything when they were kids and now there was a hole of the size of the Grand Canyon between them.

"Anyway! No flowers? You come here without flowers, chocolate or meth? I am abhorred, Diego!"

"Yes, yes. Get your scrawny little junkie ass back into bed now." He grumbled and more or less pushed Klaus over and back onto the mattress. It wasn't much of a struggle at all. Klaus was weak and injured and Diego at least ten times as strong as Number Four on a regular day. Klaus had never been much of a fighter, to begin with. Always sickly thin and fragile. With a bit of coaxing from Diego’s side, Klaus lay back down - albeit it with a deep frown on his face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you here?"

"As I said, I was called."

"And you … came?" He sounded honestly surprised and Diego cringed at the implications. Then again, was Klaus wrong to be surprised? Apparently, he was the only one who thought it necessary to come to check up on Klaus. He knew, deep down, that neither Luther nor Vanya and especially not Reginald would turn up anytime soon.

"Apparently so." 

"Did anyone else come?" He sounded almost hopeful the way he asked that question.

"No."  _ Of course not,  _ he wanted to say. Then again, he understood why Reggie hadn't shown but that Luther or Vanya hadn't come to Klaus’ bedside … he didn't get it. The nurses had called them, left a message on their answering machines, as they had told Diego earlier, and none of them showed up. "But I’m here and I’m not gonna leave now." 

"Is that a threat?" Klaus huffed.

"Take it as such, Bro." He replied and took a sip of his coffee. It was like sipping from a sewer drain. "So what's the story, Baby?"

"What story?"

"Well, did you have a wrestling match with a lawnmower?" 

"Kinda." 

"I assume that lawnmower had a name, yes? Care to share with the rest of the class?" 

"It's not that big of a deal." Klaus shrugged. "Shit like this happens when you live on the streets. And, if you’d excuse me, I’d want to leave now. Loads of things to do, I am a busy gal, you know?"

"You are not going anywhere."

"Dee-"

"Nope, don't ‘Dee’ me, Klaus. It's not working." He sighed. "Listen. I’m sick and tired of getting those calls and I’m sick and tired of worrying my ass off about you every day."

"Well, no one said you had to!" Klaus bristled. "And I already said that I’m gonna take your number off of my emergency contacts!" 

"You said that last time."

"Well, I forgot! Sorry to bother you!"

"You are not bothering me!"

"Sounds like it!"

"If you’d let me finish-"

"Go on then and then we can go our separate ways again. That's what you wanted!"

"I just wanted to tell you that I’m giving you two options now."

"Oh, so now you're giving me options!" Klaus laughed. "Because what? Am I your child, suddenly? Who do you think you are giving me  _ options  _ ?"

"I’m your fucking brother, Klaus, and I care for you!" At least that stunned Klaus into silence for about five seconds. Time enough for Diego to use that opening and continue. "Either you are going into rehab - and yes, I will force you and it won’t be pleasant - or you come with me and I’m getting you clean. Either way, you are not going back to the streets where some asshole beats you and does god knows what else to you! This is no longer funny or cute anymore, Klaus! You could've died! You  _ did  _ die! And I- I just d-don't- I can't-"

Klaus didn't look at him as he gave up talking altogether. The dreaded childhood stutter resurfaced at the most inopportune times but Klaus had never judged him for it and it seemed he still wouldn't. "Okay." Klaus muttered after a moment of contemplation. His usual bravado was gone, his voice small - almost timid. "But I’m not promising anything." 

※※※※※※※

The steam of the running showers filled up the entire men’s changing room. At least it felt that way. To Diego Hargreeves, nothing was better than a steaming hot shower after a long and exhausting day - or a night of vigilante work in the streets. Klaus preferred long baths in a fancy bathtub to the sound of his, quite frankly, a little outdated music. Right now, he made do with what he had and hummed to himself as he allowed the spray of water to wash the grime of the streets and the blood from his wounds away until it was no more than dirty water swirling down the drain. 

Usually, Diego wasn't very fond of showering with other men but in this case - Well, Klaus was his brother and had never been very fond of closed doors, to begin with. Sure, their father had forbidden him from closing the door to the bathroom or his room at one point but even before that, Klaus had left the doors open for the most part. So, in short, all the Hargreeves siblings were very much acquainted with Klaus’ naked body. 

Showering with Klaus in the men's locker room showers also meant that Diego could get a better idea of his injuries that way. Klaus had been released earlier today in the late afternoon and Diego had brought him straight back home, stopping only at Griddy’s to get some waffles and donuts into his brother. Now that he had a first-row seat to Klaus’ naked body, he was glad that he had made that pitstop. 

His adopted brother had always been on the thin side, even as a child. In the beginning, he had been the smallest of the bunch, even smaller than little Vanya. Only as puberty had hit him, he had grown much quicker than the rest of them. At one point, he had even been taller than Luther but he had never been able to fill out much. So, even now as an adult, Klaus was a beanpole. He was almost sickly thin now after years of substance abuse and a life on the streets and although it shouldn't surprise Diego, it shocked him to the absolute core. 

Klaus’ ribs were poking through the tightly stretched skin of his upper body. He could count them one by one. The abuse done to his body was horrific. Some old wounds laughed him in the face, accompanied by the colorful painting that was part of the reason why he had been in the hospital, to begin with. Whoever had hurt Klaus out there and whose name Klaus still refused to speak, he hadn't held back on Diego's little brother. His torso was an ocean of black and blue spots littered all over his sickly pale skin. A few deeper gushes had required stitching.

Even for someone who earned his keep in boxing with other people that were oftentimes twice his size, Diego was horrified by the bruising on his brother’s body. 

"You know, usually I ask for people to pay so that they can stare at me." Klaus hummed and broke his tune for a second, ripping Diego from his musings and forced him to turn his face back towards the wall. 

"When I asked if you had a run-in with a lawnmower, I meant it as a joke, you know?" He said to the wall as he lathered the shampoo in his hair with his fingers, scratching his scalp with his nails. The action felt therapeutic to him, grounding him in the moment. "But now I start to suspect that it was a truck that ran you over." 

"Dee-"

"Nope." 

"You can't expect me to tell you my little sob story after four years of radio silence from you." 

"I don't." Diego shrugged. "I just want a name."

"So you can do what, exactly? Go out there and defend my honor? Find who beat me up and kill them for me?" The little scoff that escaped his brittle lips felt sharp like a slap. The insinuation was clear without Klaus having to say anything. " _ Please _ , Diego, I’m not a fucking child anymore and I don't need your protection." 

"Obviously." 

"Well, I did just fine on my own these past few years. So fuck you, Diego." 

"Yes, you did just fine." He huffed, returning his gaze to his brother who was staring at the wall just the same now. The gaping abyss between them seemed insurmountable. "Shooting up heroin in back alleys, getting fucked by strangers, getting beaten up… You still sell yourself, too?"

"It's work." Klaus cut him off sharply. "You would know the word if you had worked a day in your life."

"Big words from someone like you." Diego huffed and turned his attention back to the wall. They both had always known how to cut the other deeply. It was who they were. "I like my life."

"You live in the boiler room of a gym. You are basically homeless - same as me." 

"Yeah, but at least I have a roof over my head and I earn honest money."

"And you beat up people at night."

"Bad people."

"Tomayto, tomahto." Klaus replied with a grin. "Anyway, you don't need to beat up any bad guy for me. I’m fighting my own fights, Darling." 

"I’m just saying that I want you to come to me when someone threatens you or hurts you in any way." 

"Just like the old times? When you went against Luther or Five?"

"Yes." He switched the shower off and the steam clung to his face like one of those fancy face masks Eudora had liked to use. Klaus just stared at him but followed his brother’s example as he always had. A lifetime ago, Klaus had been a little duckling following him everywhere he went, doing everything Diego had done. Right now, he frowned at his brother before taking his towel and wrapping it around his hips. This time, it was Diego who followed Klaus’ example. "I would beat up a giant for you and you know that, little Bro."

For some reason, Klaus broke the eye contact so sharply that it was hard to miss before he stalked out of the showers and back into the changing area. Al had already closed down for the night so they were alone inside the gym. No need for modesty - not that Klaus would be a modest guy. Still, the way he walked away from Diego left no question about the fact that Klaus, for some reason seemed hurt or angered by Diego's words. And Diego, who had never had a way with words and couldn't always express himself properly with them, was at a loss because of it. 

※※※※※※※

_ He hated to see Klaus crying. That was just something Diego didn't need to delve into more than that. He hated it when Klaus was crying no matter the cause. Worse was this only when Klaus was crying because of him. Because his actions or his inactions. Because he, as his brother, as his best friend, had not defended or protected him. It were moments like this when Diego Hargreeves hated himself the most. And tonight … tonight was one of those nights when Diego Hargreeves had a proper reason to absolutely loathe his own existence. _

_ "Klaus?" _

_ There was no answer when he knocked at his brother’s door. Klaus had the room right next to his own, nestled snugly in-between Diego and Vanya’s bedrooms and far removed from Luther and Allison at the end of the hallway or Five and Ben one floor above them. Klaus was, in every sense of the word and meaning, the middle child. He was often the glue that held the group of siblings together even if it was just with a smile or a joke or a crude comment. Or, like tonight, in being there and serving as a means to make fun of him.  _

_ The shame he felt was burning his skin off. At least it felt this way. Luther liked to claim that Klaus always wanted to be the center of attention but Diego knew that this wasn't true at all. Klaus didn't like attention. He didn't like it when people would stare at him like they had done tonight. He would feel small then and Diego could understand it better than most. His brother Klaus was just infinitely better at hiding his discomfort in the eye of unwanted attention.  _

_ "Klaus, can I come in?" He tried again with a knock. "I’ve got something to eat."  _

_ "Let him be." Luther snarled as he walked down the hallway, his towel flung over his shoulder as he just returned from the shower to retire to bed. "He’s just being a drama queen and you always fall for it too. He knows exactly how to push your buttons." _

_ "Shut up, Luther!" He sent his brother a deathly glare but all Luther responded with was a cocked eyebrow and a huff. _

_ "Well, you certainly didn't mind making fun of him before." Luther then replied sharply, agitated as always by Diego’s antagonistic behavior towards him. "So don't act holier than thou about it now that he’s crying like a little girl again."  _

_ It was common knowledge that Luther and Diego could hardly have a normal conversation without starting a fight or going at each other's throats and although it was itching Diego to throw something at his brother, he didn't. Because Luther, unbelievably enough, was right. He had a point. Diego had made fun of Klaus just the same his other siblings had and he had no right to be a bitch about it to Luther now. He was the one who had fucked things up. He was just as much to blame as the rest and knowing this made him only angrier at Luther. _

_ Diego waited until Luther had walked down the hall and closed his bedroom door with an audible thud before he twisted the doorknob of Klaus’ bedroom door. He found it unlocked. Klaus was not allowed to lock his door. He was not allowed to close his door either. Not after the last incident in June. His brother’s room was bathed in darkness, which was odd in and of itself before Diego remembered that Reginald had ordered Luther to tear down the fairy lights around Klaus’ bed with the words ‘Big boys don't need a nightlight’.  _

_ They all knew that Klaus was terrified of the dark and the day Luther had torn those lights down, it was the first time Number One had followed an order with visible reluctance and discomfort. They had all known that Klaus’ screams would wake them all up by nightfall. Cruelly, their father didn't allow his son even this little bit of comfort in his own room. He didn't allow him a good night's sleep under the light of his fairy lights. _

_ "Are you awake?" He tried again. With the light coming from the hallway, he could make out the shape of his brother on his bed, curled up on his side, his back to the door. Diego knew that he wasn't sleeping. Klaus hardly slept at all anyway. "Klaus?" _

_ "Go away, Dee." He muttered but relief was flooding through Diego at the sound of the old nickname. It was a name whispered only in the confines of their bedrooms, under the veil of darkness. They both knew that privacy was just an illusion inside the academy for their father had mounted cameras in nearly every room of the house - except the bathrooms. Sir Reginald was privy to every word his seven children spoke and to every secret they might share. However, growing up watched by cameras 24/7, it had become normal to them and barely a thought that would cross their minds at all.  _

_ Instead of following his brother's command, Diego soldiered on and stepped into the dark room. He closed the door behind himself and made a point of pushing it hard as he did so that Klaus would understand that he was not leaving him. He walked over to his brother slowly, as if approaching a wild animal, and then switched on his bedside lamp. Klaus still wore that costume he had presented himself in nearly two hours ago to the rest of the family at dinner time. It was Halloween and children were running around the neighborhood wearing spooky costumes and collecting candy from unassuming neighbors. He could hear them from the streets below. For the longest time, Klaus had been fascinated by the holiday and tormented by it at the same time.  _

_ The veil between the land of the living and the dead was thinnest during All Hallows Eve. Diego could only assume how bad this night had to be for Klaus.  _

_ So, Klaus had done what he knew best: make light of a bad situation. He had made himself a costume from all kinds of different materials and shown up as a very crappy looking vampire. He had drawn fangs with white eyeliner he stole from Allison, made a black cape from one of his old uniforms, and stole a fancy dress-shirt from their father only to splatter a bit of ketchup across the front to make it look like blood. _

_ "I’m sorry," Diego mumbled when he sat down on the edge of the bed without waiting for an invitation he knew wouldn't come anyway. Maybe he deserved the silent treatment too. The moment Klaus had walked into the dining room, Reginald had immediately demanded to know what the meaning of all this was. Klaus had just proclaimed that it was Halloween and he wanted to celebrate it. Reginald had then proceeded to send Klaus to his room without dinner and under the snickering of his siblings - Diego included. "I shouldn't have laughed with the others. I should have defended you when they made fun of you."  _

_ He reached out to Klaus to touch his shoulder and, to his surprise, Klaus didn't shoo him off but turned around to face him. His face was a mess. Stained with eyeliner and whatever else he had out on his face for his costume. His curls stuck to his forehead and his cheeks and were pointed in all different directions. He never looked so vulnerable and small to Diego and it became a chore not to reach out and pull him into the tightest hug imaginable.  _

_ Quickly, Diego pulled out the bread rolls he had pocketed when their father hadn't looked and handed them to Klaus. His brother gave another pitiful sniff but slowly sat up in bed and accepted the offered goods that were meant to appease him. He tore a piece off and shoved it into his mouth. Skinny as his brother was, it seemed almost cruel of their father to deny him dinner just because of a costume. _

_ "I just thought … Maybe he would allow me to go trick or treating." Klaus muttered between bites. "I just wanted to be normal for once." _

_ "I’m sorry," Diego repeated once more. "I think you looked fine." Even though the costume was a hot mess. "He s-should’ve let you go. And I really should've said something. You're my best friend, after all. I should have defended you." _

_ "My knight in shining armor." Klaus huffed and wiped a few more tears away. "Always there to save the day."  _

※※※※※※※

Supporting someone who was going through withdrawal and detox cold turkey was a mess and Diego had known this from the start. He had been there in the past and he was willingly going through it yet again. It wasn't the first time that he needed to hold a bucket for his brother as he puked his guts out in the middle of the night. It wasn't the first time that he needed to wrap him tightly in a blanket because his entire body was covered in a cold sweat having him shivering violently. It wasn’t the first time, that his brother woke him up with agonized screams. It wasn’t the first time that his body was scorching hot to the touch. 

It was hard not to feel sorry for someone going through shit like this. It was hard not to give in when his brother was crying and pleading with him to give him something to take the edge off. His brother was in pain, he was suffering and all Diego could do was stand by, watch him and be stern. 

As 3 AM rolled around, Diego was exhausted and Klaus now resting on his own bed instead of on the sofa as intended. He wasn’t asleep but at least he had stopped shaking for now. It was scary witnessing something like this and Diego was fully aware that the worst was yet to come. It would be a long, grueling process and they had only made the first step so far. A part of him wished that Klaus would have willingly gone into a facility. 

"How are you doing?" Diego yawned and sat down on the edge of the bed to put a hand on his back. The shirt that Diego had given him was clammy with sweat. No wonder he was freezing. Klaus gave a pitiful little moan as a response. His eyes were glassy and feverish.

"Been better." He murmured into the pillow. "Been worse." 

"You're gonna be okay." Reassuring his brother seemed cruel. He felt like Reginald shoving his brother into the water before he had known how to swim. It was like sending him into the lion's den knowing that he would be ripped to shreds. It felt wrong. How could he say that he would be okay when he could see him looking like  _ this _ ? 

"You’re not leaving, are you?" Klaus’ voice was that of a child, of the same little boy that Diego had known all those years ago, whose hand he had held whenever they had been allowed such levels of affection and intimacy. 

Suddenly, they were kids again. Little children, trying to appease their god-like father with offerings and tokens of their love and respect. Klaus had been the first one of them to realize that their God may exist but that he didn't care about them, for they were completely insignificant to him. And this truth in and of itself was horrifying. It was what H.P. Lovecraft had written about. Not a world devoid of a God but a world with an uncaring God. Klaus had understood this and it had broken him and when Diego had finally realized this truth as well, it had been much too late for him. 

"Of course, not." He replied calmly as he brushed his hand through Klaus’ sweaty curls. "You know I’m here for you, right?"

"Mhm … My knight in shining armor." He huffed. "Always there to save the day."

**-End of Chapter 2-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to share your opinions on this story with me. I love reading your comments. It's what keeps me going <3


	3. Chapter 3

Scraping. Rats scraping on brick walls as they were trying to make their way through the mortar and into his home beneath the gym. Rats scrabbling for purchase and cheeping in the darkness of the night. It was just a matter of moments now until they would have reached his boiling body and began eating him alive. 

Diego woke up to the weirdest sounds he had ever heard, sure that his dream had spilled over into the real world. The scraping of the rats from his dream continued mercilessly. As he opened his eyes, the bed beside him was empty. He was momentarily startled into panic at the realization that Klaus was no longer next to him before he came to understand that the weird scraping sounds came from his kitchenette.  _ Rats going through his meager supplies. _

He shook off the remnants of sleep and his weird rat-infested dreams. It was probably just Klaus rummaging through the cabinets searching for food to stop his cravings but, as Diego looked around the small room, he was surprised as he didn't find his brother searching for snacks. Instead of raiding his fridge, Klaus was indeed scrubbing down his kitchen cabinets. The few items he actually stored inside the little cabinets had been put on his sink while Klaus was kneeling on the counter beneath the cabinets to scrub vigorously. 

"Klaus?" He groaned as he sat up at last. His back was aching all over after last night. Almost he felt like he had been run over by a steamroller or been thrown into a mill. He had spent most of last night awake, after all. His brother, however, didn't even really react to his voice. "Hey … what are you doing?" 

"Cleaning," Klaus replied without doing as much as glancing over his shoulder and with a tone as if this should have been obvious.

"I can see that." Getting to his feet felt like a monumental task and yet he managed. Not too long after, he had bridged the distance between his bed and his brother. Good thing his apartment was so little. "Care to explain why you are scrubbing my cabinets?"

"They’re dirty." 

"Klaus…" He grabbed his elbow to properly get his attention. It didn't need much more for Diego to realize just how hot and clammy his brother’s skin still felt. "Get down there. Come on, back to bed. Your fever has not gone down yet." He was in the thick of it now. Full of nervous energy that he needed to get out and didn't know how. Usually, he would go out to chase the next hit when he would start feeling this way. 

"Your kitchen is a mess," Klaus argued back as he refused to get down until Diego tugged on his arm again and almost made him lose his balance in the process. "Diego!"

"No, brother, get down." He groaned. It was a testament to how weak and exhausted Klaus truly was that he allowed Diego to manhandle him down from the kitchen counter. Klaus was usually the most stubborn son of a bitch he knew. More often than not in the past, Klaus had done things he didn't even want to do just out of spite and just because someone told him not to. 

Diego had to hold onto his elbow to be able to lead him back to the bed and Klaus staggered along more than he was actually walking beside him. He was a baby deer again and Diego was all that stood between him and the bullet of a hunter. This hunter, Diego assumed, would be the next best drug dealer or street thug Klaus would come across if he would leave the gym in a frenzy now. Diego had witnessed all of this a million times already. He could see the signs, could read his brother’s body language, and understood how much he was fighting the urge to run off right now. 

His brother’s knees were trembling as he tried sitting down on the edge of the bed and so Diego lowered him down carefully until Klaus sat right next to him. He was tempted to put an arm around Klaus’ narrow trembling shoulders and, as Klaus allowed his head to fall on Diego’s shoulder, he did put his arm around him to allow him this moment of physical connection and bonding. Klaus, unlike most of his other siblings, had always been tactile, always in need of physical touch, always starved for attention, love, and comfort. This was the least that Diego could actually do for him right now if it would help Klaus through all of this mess.

"My skin is burning off."

"I know." Diego murmured. "I know. You should sleep a little more." 

"I don't know if I can," Klaus muttered against him and his breath was hot against Diego’s collarbone. It was not uncomfortable though. "Can you stay?"

A quick glance at his watch told him that he still had a little time left until he needed to get up and start working. "For a bit, yes." He smiled and brushed his fingers through Klaus’ sweaty curls. "And then I need to start working. But I will be right down the hall in the gym." 

"Can I come to the gym later and watch?"

"Sure, why not?" Diego smiled. He allowed himself to indulge in the fantasy that his brother was actually interested in his work for a moment. Maybe that was naive. Their connection had long been severed by a butcher’s knife like an umbilical cord. They were strangers now. Not even brothers. Diego had cut the cord and he had done so as a last resort back then. Yet, here they were, orphans adopted by a sick and twisted billionaire who had raised them as soldiers to compete against each other and save the world while doing so. By some twist of fate, they were together again. "Just behave, okay?"

"Don't I ever?"

"Sleep now." Diego huffed as he took his arm away again and gently pushed Klaus into a lying position. It was hard to resist the urge to lie down beside him, but, eventually, Diego succeeded and got to his feet to tidy up the mess his brother made. 

※※※※※※※

He was a tiger locked in a cage that was too small and the cage was his very own body. His skin was itchy and hot and felt alien to him as if it wasn’t even his own, as if his body was rejecting it violently. He would shed his skin like a snake and eject his skeleton and then he would be a formless blob on the floor, an ugly slimy mass on Diego’s floor which his poor brother would need to mop up again and reform it until it would look remotely human. 

Diego had left the boiler room around two hours ago to go to work. It would be so easy to sneak out the backdoor and find the next best dealer but the thought of going out there was terrifying with Grant still roaming the city. The sounds coming from the gym was like an ocean turning over in its sleep, like waves crashing against the cliffs of a beach. It was loud and comforting at the same time. Not loud like the ghosts that seemed always to surround him. Loud like only living, breathing people could be. It was entirely too much and too little of a stimulus at once. He needed more and he needed less and he needed  _ something _ . Something.  _ Anything _ .

Wrestling his body into a standing position was much more work than he would have anticipated and when he finally was standing, he just wanted to collapse on the floor right away again. He didn't allow his knees to buckle, though. Instead, he staggered over to the kitchenette, turned on the faucet, and gulped down a few sips of water before splashing his face with it. 

There was a small mirror hanging on one of the supporting columns that Diego would use for shaving. He had watched him this morning during his daily routine. He looked a fucking mess. He looked like he had been chewed up by some beast and then spit back out as the beast had realized that it wasn’t worth it to upset its stomach with something as poisonous as him. There was no way he would be able to walk down the hall like this and present himself to Diego’s peers in this pity state and yet he was craving the noise and the smells and the people and, most importantly, Diego watching over him because if he wouldn't, Klaus would walk out that back door and like Alice he would get lost in Wonderland once more. 

The detox had not come to him willingly, this time - like most other times before as well. Sobriety was nothing he was looking forward to. And yet he didn't want to leave through the back door. He didn't want to get lost in Wonderland again. Since the age of thirteen, he was a frequent visitor and he was tired of it. He was tired of not knowing where he was, not knowing what he had done. He was tired of eating out of dumpsters and sleeping in back alleys. The next rush promised warmth and fun and love to him but he knew now that the world behind the glass was just an illusion, just one big cruel lie. 

He could hear the ticking of the clock.  _ Tick, tick, tick _ . It was in his ears. It was in his head. It was under his skin.  _ Tick, tick, tick _ . The white rabbit was already calling for him again, beckoning him to follow it to the rabbit hole. 

"How do you run from what's inside your head?" He whispered to himself as he was staring into the eyes of his reflection. They weren’t even his own. He barely recognized that tired looking, bruised-up guy in the mirror. Last time he had looked in a mirror, he had been a thirteen-year-old child and his eyes had not been this dull and empty and wild all at the same time. What had happened to him since then?

The ticking in his head grew louder by the second. It was the sound of Sir Reginald’s cane tapping on the hardwood floor of the academy’s endless maze of hallways. He was the dreaded Red Queen and, in time, he would demand Klaus’ head on a silver platter. The grinding of his teeth only registered as a dull pain in his head but it was enough to rip himself from his wild thoughts - for a moment, at least. 

All he needed to do now was walk up the stairs, go out that door and turn left instead of right. Left. Left, to where Diego was. A part of him wondered if this was a test - if Diego wanted to see if Klaus would leave when being left unsupervised. Their bond had long been severed and by Diego of all people. Maybe that was unfair. He had left him no other choice. 

They had been so close growing up together in that horrible, horrible house. Closer than any of the others had ever been. So close that it had caused him physical anguish when Diego had cut ties with him at last. Yet, it had given him a strange sense of twisted satisfaction.  _ Ah _ , he had thought to himself back then,  _ there it is. I finally made him snap. I always knew he would. Here it is now. I was right all along. _

He remembered standing on that bridge contemplating to throw himself into the inky depths of the river after the last person he had had left in his mess of a life had finally had enough of him. In his wake, only death prevailed. He was poisonous like a flower would be. Other people would be attracted to him and his antics, his loudness, maybe even the way he looked and they would be infatuated with him and his presence, and then they would start to wilt and wither because he poisoned them and there was no escape. 

As he made it up the stairs he paused with his hand on the doorknob.  _ Left. Not right. Left.  _ The ticking in his head was unbearable. Could he really go to Diego and resist temptation? Was this one step too far too quickly? He should stay down here where no one would be able to see him. Down here where he could pretend that everything was fine. 

"You can do it." Ben’s voice was hollow and seemed to go in and out of focus like a radio that was not tuned correctly. He was starting to become clearer, though, with each hour that passed in which Klaus was not shooting something up his veins. He bit down on his bottom lip before he twisted the doorknob and opened it in one forceful swing. He stepped into the hallway and turned left. He had to ball his fists to keep himself from turning right but, in the end, he reached the gym. 

The sound of weights hitting against each other was like music to his ears. There were friendly chats and banter, laughter even, all accompanied by the sounds of the dull thudding of fists smashing into punching bags and labored breathing. He found Diego by the side of the boxing ring, his arms crossed and resting on one of the ropes that formed the sides of the ring. 

"Watch your defense!" Diego yelled into the ring as he kept an eye on the two fighters in there. For a moment, he just stood there, watching how Diego taught the two young boys in the ring after he had climbed in himself to show them what he meant. He was patient and firm and compassionate as he taught those kids in a way Klaus could only assume Diego would have wished to be taught by their father. 

Growing up inside the academy, it had been nothing but force and tough love. Fuck, not even love. The most loving relationship that any of them had had with a parental figure had been their relationships with Mom - and she was not even a human being. So, what did that say about Sir Reginald? What did that say about them?

He wanted to stay there at the corner and watch Diego, while he was fully aware that some of the other people around were watching  _ him  _ with suspicion. Of course, they would be suspicious of him. He was a fucking mess and looked every bit the gutter junkie that he was right now. They probably thought he had snuck in to steal shit or cause trouble. 

"Hey, you!"  _ And, sure enough _ , he thought to himself,  _ here it comes _ . He turned around to greet the first big muscly guy coming towards him and who would undoubtedly tell him to fuck off. The man approached from the corridor Klaus had just come out of and on which the restrooms and showers were located on also. He was not that big tank of a guy he had expected to see, though. Just as tall as Diego was and almost as big as Luther in terms of muscle mass last time Klaus had seen his big brother - although he doubted that this guy could hold his own against Diego in a fight. 

_ Muscle mass doesn't mean shit if you don't know how to use it.  _ That was what Diego once told him during training. They had been teenagers and Klaus devastated that no matter what he did and tried, he would not fill out like the rest of his brothers. Even Ben had had more muscles than he would ever possess.  _ You are quick on your feet and you are flexible like a dancer. Use this to your advantage. People will always underestimate you. That's your weapon. _

"What are you doing here?" The man barked as he walked over towards him and crossed his arms to look even more intimidating. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He was not necessarily unattractive but he wasn't exactly Klaus’ type either. Not that he used to be very picky about that, right? 

"Who? Moi?" Klaus faked surprise to be spoken to in such a manner and pressed a hand over his heart. He was missing his usual flair, though. Already he felt exhausted. "I am a regular visitor of this fine establishment."

"You? Not in a million years. Listen, if you don't leave now I’m gonna call the cops on your fucking junkie ass. They will have a field day searching you. I bet you already stole enough to buy your next hit, huh?"

"Hey!" Diego, his savior, his knight in shining armor. He was always there when Klaus was in trouble as it seemed - well, besides the past few years, of course. Klaus had just enough time to look over his shoulder to see his brother climbing back out of the ring to jog towards them. By now, pretty much everyone was staring. "What's the problem here, Henry?"

"That guy." The man, Henry, pointed at Klaus. Rude. "I told him we would call the cops on him if he doesn't leave."

"No, we won't." Diego replied right away and before the other guy could vocalize his confusion he added: "He’s my brother." 

"Your-"

"Yes, my brother," Diego said with reassurance as he put a hand on Klaus’ shoulder. "And he’s staying with me for the time being. So, back off." 

Henry seemed unsure of how to proceed but the way Diego raised one of his eyebrows, it was very clear that he would not allow any further shit-talking from this man. "Okay," Henry said backing off a bit. "Okay, sorry then. But if anything … vanishes-"

"It won’t," Diego replied. "My brother has fallen on hard times and I am helping him to get back on his feet, that's all. You know, like Al helped you to get back on your feet." There was the slightest blush on Henry’s face at Diego’s words and though it was quite the sight to behold, the muscle man quickly made his departure after that. 

"Sorry," Klaus muttered. "I should’ve stayed in the boiler room."

"No, it's okay." Diego smiled reassuringly. When he smiled, he still looked like that fresh-faced teenager Klaus remembered from his childhood. One of the very few good things in his life back then. Fuck, he still was one of the very few good things in his life even now. "I told you to come, didn't I? Don't mind Henry he has a brain the size of a peanut." 

"A brain the size of a peanut and arms the size of trucks."

"You find a lot of guys like him here." Diego laughed. "Most of them are decent guys, though. Come on, you wanna eat something?" 

"Waffles?"

"I can get you some waffles." 

※※※※※※※

It was good to see his brother eat. Even as children, Diego had liked seeing him eat - not in a creepy way, of course. It was just the fact that Klaus had always been sickly thin and now after years on the streets he resembled a corpse more than anything. At long last he had become the very thing he was afraid of, it seemed.  _ It was good seeing him eat _ . 

He had asked one of the teenage boys that he would train every few days to go over to Griddy’s and bring back some waffles and donuts for his brother as neither one of them felt comfortable having Klaus go out right now. It was unusual that his brother Klaus was fine with being cooped up inside a building but he chalked it up to Klaus still feeling sick and exhausted from the detox, not to mention the pain he must be in with no painkillers allowed to take the edge off. 

Sitting on one of the benches at the side of the gym, Klaus was digging into his food whole-heartedly, even though they both knew that Klaus would probably throw everything back up in a few hours.

"So you are working with kids now?" Klaus asked between bites but refused to even do as much as look at Diego. The situation between them was still weird and strained, yet so familiar that it almost hurt a bit. 

"I wouldn't call it working with kids." Diego shrugged. "There are a few kids from the neighborhood that come here to get their anger out, you know? Most of them have troubled home lives or have anger issues. Some of them just try to find a place to fit in or try to make friends. I teach them how to fight in my spare time, that's all."

As he looked up from the donut box between them on the bench, he found Klaus staring back at him out of owlish green eyes. His cheeks felt hot. Klaus had always had this effect on him when he would look at Diego like this. "What?"

"I just … I’m surprised."

"Why?" Diego scoffed. "Because I do something else than just beating up people?"

"No." Klaus lowered his gaze again and Diego felt inclined to apologize, certain that he had said something wrong. "No … No, that's not it. I mean … I shouldn't be surprised. You were always someone who likes helping others, right? Don't get me wrong, you can be quite the asshat but, you always helped me, you always cared."

"You're my brother."

"We both know that's not true." 

"Well, we might not be related or something but we’re still brothers."

"I always considered you more like my best friend than a brother. I don't … If I’m honest … I don't even know what having a brother really means. It's … when people tell me about their siblings they speak differently about them than what I experienced, you know? To them … having a brother or a sister is something positive. Some of the guys I hooked up with talked with so much love about their siblings that I felt envious. To me … having siblings meant a constant struggle and fight for the attention of a cold-hearted monster of a father. So no" He sighed as he finally looked at him shortly. His words cut a lot deeper than he could even know, Diego thought. He knew exactly what his brother was talking about. "You are not my brother. You have always been my  _ friend _ . Of course, that was before the whole mess four years ago." 

"You know why I had to cut you out." Diego frowned but he kept his voice low and his face relaxed. There was no point in arguing about it, no point in rehashing all that had happened in the past. What's done is done, right? No point in dwelling on it. They had both behaved like assholes four years ago.

"Isn't it weird, though, that now you want to take care of me?" Klaus huffed. "But I guess now it's cool because you’ve been kicked out of the police academy so your police friends can no longer look down on you for having a junkie brother." 

"You stole shit." Diego sighed. "From me, from my friends. I tried helping you and you repaid me by stealing and getting me into trouble. I wanted to become a cop and you know that's always been my dream. Yet, you did everything in your power to make it harder for me."

"What can I say? I am a toxic person. Nothing new there. I tend to destroy everything I touch."

"That's just a lazy cop-out, Brother." He stole a piece of Klaus’ last waffle. Right now, he could not even be angry with Klaus. He was sick and exhausted and going through shit. He said stupid shit like this when he was in pain. "You are better than this and we both know this."

"Well, I’m glad you still have this savior complex."

"You  _ should  _ be glad that I do, Baby." 

※※※※※※※

The gym was silent and empty except for the small transistor radio that stood at the edge of the boxing ring and softly played some generic radio mix and for his brother Diego who was currently mopping the floors in just his sweatpants and a black tank top. He wasn’t even wearing shoes as he pretty much danced across the empty gym, oblivious to the prying eyes of his brother. 

An hour ago, Diego had come back to the boiler room and told him that the gym had closed and Al had left. Always the good brother, he had wanted to make sure that Klaus was alright before he would start cleaning up the place and doing the work he was actually paid for. Well, then again saying that Al  _ paid  _ him was a stretch. He was allowed to live inside the boiler room for his custodial work and got just enough money from Al for this and the other odd jobs he would do for the old geezer to scrape by. It didn't need a genius to understand that it would become almost impossible for Diego to feed two people for a prolonged time. Then again, Diego had always been the responsible one of them, right?

Right now, his brother seemed to be enjoying himself and the music from the transistor radio. He looked content the way he went about his work. The police radio at the side of the ring didn't escape Klaus, though. Briefly, he wondered if Diego would go out tonight if something interesting would come in. He didn't want Diego to leave. Knowing that the back door was locked now throughout the night, knowing that Diego was here, made it all a bit easier. Even though he had spent the last couple of hours doubled over the toilet and violently expelling the waffles and donuts Diego had fed him earlier.

Right now, however, he found himself trapped in a trance as he watched Diego doing his work and briefly thought back to the time at the academy. Diego’s presence had always been the most comforting to him no matter the horrors he had been forced to go through. The lighthouse in the stormy sea that was his very soul.

"Jesus Christ, Klaus!" The surprised exclamation startled him out of his reminiscing but he was quick enough to gather his senses to see how Diego pressed a hand over his heart in shock as he stared back at Klaus. "How long’ve you been standing there?"

"Long enough to judge your dancing skills." Klaus mocked to play down how much he had zoned out again just standing there and watching the other man. "You improved since we were seventeen. Good. Maybe I can allow you to tag along then next time I go dancing."

"Do you need anything?" Diego overheard his remark as he put the mop into the bucket and walked over to Klaus. "Are you feeling better?" He didn't even get the chance to take a step back as Diego’s hand was already touching his forehead. Always the worried mother hen. "Your fever went down. Good. You smell like you could need another shower, though."

"Charming."

"You hungry?"

"No, Mom." He huffed. 

For a second or two they just stood there in awkward silence. So much time had passed since their falling out and although the banter still came naturally to them both and flowed easily between them, it became pretty clear that they were both at a loss for words when it got beyond that banter or when Diego couldn't continue his mother-hen-act. As children, Klaus had thought that nothing could ever break their bond and now he was afraid that they would never be able to return to how they were before. He could see the fracture in their relationship like the breakage in a bone and he was afraid that this bone would never grow back together healthily. Sure, Diego was helping him now and he cared for his well-being but this might just be born out of familiar responsibility or Diego’s unhealthy obsession with helping other people. He might as well be a bird with a broken wing, ready to be released back into the world as soon as his wing was healed. 

"Hey, remember our secret handshake?" 

Diego raised both brows impressively high at the question before a little grin started creeping back onto his face. "Sure."

"Proof it." Klaus laughed and held out his hand expectantly. Needless to say, Diego didn't disappoint as he masterfully executed the handshake from their childhood days their father had always frowned upon and Luther rolled his eyes about. 

"That reminds me of that bank robbery we stopped when we were like … What? Twelve?"

"We were thirteen," Klaus smirked. "That was about nine months before Five vanished." 

"Right. Well, you’ve always been better with dates and shit…"

"Well, it was shortly before I broke my wrist."

"Oh, right! You fell from the tree in the yard, right?" 

"No, that was the year before." Klaus chuckled. "That year, Luther threw me across the gym, remember? You guys had a fight - of course - and you threw a bunch of weights at him. So, Luther was so fed up at one point that he grabbed the next best thing and threw it back - and that was little old me." 

"Yeah … Luther was such a bitch." Diego laughed.

"I hit the wall full force and he didn't even apologize and Dad didn't even say anything! He just made you guys clean up the mess and made Mom take care of me. But later that night, Luther actually came by and said sorry."

"Wow. I didn't know that."

"He told me to keep my mouth shut or else." 

"Of course." Diego sighed and tapped a finger against Klaus’ forehead. "I remember that you forgave him, though. The next morning it was like nothing had happened! You were always way too forgiving and kind to everyone around even when we didn't deserve it."

"Plenty of times when I was a bitch, so … it's all good."

"That is indeed true." The smirk on his face grew even bigger before he looked back to his cleaning utensils. "Hey, listen, if you wanna take a shower just go. You can use my stuff, okay? I mean, it's not like you wouldn't use it anyway. You always had a habit of using other people's shit or wearing other people's stuff. Five once entertained the idea that you might have been a cross between human and magpie."

"You should start worrying about that when you find me sitting atop a chandelier saying ‘Nevermore’."

"That was a raven." Diego laughed and ruffled through his curls. 

"I actually … Uhm … Do you need help?"

"Help?"

"With the cleaning." Klaus pointed towards the bucket and the mop. "You said earlier that today would be the night when you would do everything around the gym. The floors, the cabinets … the equipment."

"Oh, yes but … I mean … If you want to help…"

"Sure." Klaus grinned. "Gets my mind off of things." 

"Well, in that case, be my guest." 

**-End of Chapter 3-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to share your opinions on this story with me. I love reading your comments. It's what keeps me going <3


	4. Chapter 4

They were eight years old and dancing in the attic. They were twenty-three years old and dancing in a vacant boxing gym with mops and vacuum cleaners. He had been eight when he first fell in love with his adopted brother and he had been nineteen when he had realized that this love would never work out between them. Now he was twenty-three and dancing with his brother to the tunes from the radio on the side of the boxing ring. 

It was silly and childish and he loved every second of it. Klaus would dance with Diego’s trusty old mop or he would allow his brother to take the lead. They were children again, dancing in the attic with no one around to see them. They were children again, bubbling with laughter and energy, unafraid to be silly and weird in their dance moves. There was no one else in his life that had ever made Diego feel this alive and save while being this silly and childish. Only with Klaus, his mask was allowed to drop. Around Klaus, it didn't matter how he was dancing. 

His brother taught him his new moves and Diego taught him the always successful fishing move. This right here, them spazzing out to silly pop music from the radio, was them. No force, no need to look good for someone, no need to be attractive or at the very least not embarrassing to watch. Dancing with Klaus was what freedom felt like for Diego. He had never realized how much he had missed this. They only stopped when Klaus lost his balance and fell flat on his ass. He wouldn't be Klaus, though, if he had not started laughing hysterically right away. 

"You still haven’t told me about those wounds." Diego later muttered as they were sitting on the edge of the boxing ring, the old transistor radio between them. The gym was clean and they were sweaty and out of breath. Klaus still seemed weak and exhausted and sick but he had had a smile on his lips that Diego had last seen when they were little children during their dance-off in the attic - before Klaus had decided he needed to always wear a mask around his siblings that would hide his true emotions and before Diego too had decided that he needed a mask to hide his true self. Sometimes he looked in the mirror and missed the silly little boy who had come up with a secret handshake only he and his favorite sibling would know. 

"Diego…"

"Okay, I’m not prying!" He sighed and lifted his hands in surrender. Waving the proverbial white flag never failed to make Klaus’ face soften a little. "I’m not prying, I promise. I’m just … worried about you. And yes, before you say it again, I know I shouldn't have treated you the way I did four years ago. I’m sorry, okay? But I still worry about you." 

"There is no dragon to slay, brother dearest. No windmill to fight in defense of my honor." The way his brother said these things he was almost tempted to believe him. "Listen, Dee … When I’m better I’m gonna find a job, okay?"

"Hey … Easy." He raised his hands placatingly. "You can stay as long as you want. You are no burden at all if that's your concern." 

"Diego Hargreeves…" He shuddered at the sound of his own name out of Klaus’ mouth as he turned it over and tasted it on his tongue. It was weird how familiar this all was. A lifetime ago, his own name was all he ever wanted to hear come out of Klaus’ mouth. "Always the good samaritan, right? Always the hero. But let me tell you one thing, Baby, you can’t save everyone." 

"I can try." Diego shrugged. "At least I can try to help my little brother, right? And I mean it. You are not a burden. But, if you must, you can help me around the gym. It's demanding work and I don't always have enough time to take care of everything." 

"We have a deal then." Klaus held out his pinky finger and Diego hesitated for a second before, with a laugh, he hooked their pinkies and gave Klaus’ hand a firm shake.

"Deal."

※※※※※※※

Having Klaus working at the gym with him was odd, to say the least. That had to have been expected, of course, and he was not surprised by this revelation either. His little safe haven, his bubble was no longer his own now. It had been invaded by something else - an intruder. And Diego … He was like a tomcat. He didn't like sharing his district. But Klaus, he wasn't a rodent for him to hunt and he was no other cat to fight off. Klaus was a peacock prancing around the gym. He was a hummingbird flying around his head. He was all of that and more and although he should be annoyed, annoyance was far from where he was currently at regarding his adopted brother.

"Hey, Cutiepie" The voice of Number Four was sweet as honey as he addressed one of the other fighters. "how are you doing today?" He would have expected the tough-guy to freak out on Klaus but instead, the man seemed flustered by his flirtatious remark. It was definitely a new development at the boxing gym.

A few days into their arrangement, Diego finally began to settle around the change that his brother brought. Sure, Al was not happy to house a junkie in his boiler room but after lots of pleading and promises from Diego that his brother was getting clean and needed the help only Al and this gym could provide, the old geezer finally caved and allowed Klaus to stay and make himself useful. 

Quickly, it had become apparent that Klaus’ talents were best used at the bar where the other people would go to refill their bottles or get a coffee after an exhausting workout. Klaus with his extroverted nature had quickly pulled in the more skeptical macho men and women that would come here. A few days in and it already felt weird imagining that there had been a time, not too long ago, when Klaus had not been here. Unlike Diego, Klaus had always had a natural talent for pulling people in and making friends. So, just five days into this, the gym rats smiled when they would see Klaus. They would go greet him and chat with him. It was as if Al had finally called someone to clean the dirty ceiling windows and the sun was finally shining through them again.

"Hey, Pumpkin!" Diego called out as he approached the bar just in time to see how Klaus winked at the man whose bottle he had just refilled. He didn't like it that Klaus would flirt with anyone and everyone at this place but … What could he do? It was Klaus. He wasn’t his property and Klaus had always been flirtatious. The trick was to understand if he meant it or not. "Care to join me for lunch at the diner later?"

"Like a date?" Klaus grinned and leaned onto the counter with his chin propped onto his hands, his back arched, and his eyelashes fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. If he would be a woman, his boobs would be on full display now. Somehow, even though he was wearing Diego’s old gym clothes in lack of clothes of his own, he made them look good on his lanky body. Diego wouldn't deny that he liked the way Klaus looked in his old clothes.

"Sure." Diego huffed as he softly rolled his eyes. "Like a date - in terms that I pay. That's what you meant, right?"

"You know me so well, Darling."

"Okay then, be ready in fifteen minutes, Baby." He shot back and turned to walk over to the locker rooms to change. He couldn't go in his work out clothes, after all. Just as he was about to leave the main room of the gym, however, someone came running after him. First, he thought it was Klaus but as he looked over his shoulder, one of the other fighters approached him. Big fella, almost as big as Luther. "Can I help you, Rickie?"

"No … Uhm … yes." Well, that's new. Rickie was one of those obnoxious guys that were always loud and boisterous and Diego had beaten him inside the ring on more than one occasion already. One might say they were something akin to rivals. At least in the ring, although he knew that Rickie held a certain sense of resentment against Diego. "Okay, there’s no good way to say it so I’m just doing it. I was wondering if your brother is seeing someone."

"My brother-"

"And if he’s not seeing anyone, if it would be cool if I would ask him out."

Diego felt as if he had stepped into a freezer. He wanted to say that, no it would not be cool, but with what reason? He had no right to get involved - no matter how much that beast in the pit of his stomach yelled at him to get involved. "Listen … That's really not my decision to make."

"Sure but … I don't want you to get mad because I’m dating your little brother or shit." Rickie replied hastily and scratched his shaved neck awkwardly. Until now, Diego hadn't even known that Rickie liked men. It was just nothing that was spoken about openly at a place like this. Even though the gym rats had accepted Klaus into their fold that didn't mean that they would be open in that regard. It had to have been expected at a hive of testosterone like a boxing gym. So, Rickie telling him about his interest in Klaus now was actually quite a big thing for the other man. 

"We are the same age." He corrected dryly. 

"I know, I know … Just … Wanted to be polite." Rickie shrugged. "Listen, Dude, if my sister would be working here and one of the guys wanted to go out with her, I would want them to talk to me about it first, alright? That’s why I came." 

It was maybe the first time that Diego felt honest respect for the other guy who usually only served to get on his nerves with his behavior. he was one of the most cliche dude-bros Diego had ever met and yet he came to Diego to not only out himself in front of his rival but also had the balls and the decency to ask him first if Diego was okay with him asking Klaus out. Well, that really was something. He couldn't even be angry at Rickie.

"If you want my honest opinion … Klaus just got clean and he is still struggling … I don't think that now is the best time to get involved with anyone so … But … as I said, not my decision."

"Could you put in a good word for me then?"

No, he wanted to say. Instead, he forced a nod and a grin. "Sure, Buddy." 

"Cool! Thanks, Diego!" Rickie gave him a slap on the shoulder. "I knew you were a cool guy!" 

Rickie left him with a new spring in his step and Diego, for a moment, tried to figure out what just happened. Had he really just given someone from the gym the okay to date his brother if Klaus would be fine with it? It shouldn't bother him as much as it did but he couldn't help it. He had always been protective when it came to Klaus. If it would be okay with Klaus, it should be okay with Diego. It wasn’t, though.

He was still turning the incident around in his head as they sat in the nearby diner. He was so busy thinking about it, in fact, that he barely noticed how fidgety and nervous this brother was hovering over his own fries. At first, he chalked it up to the detox and the cravings he certainly had by now but then he noticed how Klaus more often than not looked out of the window or flinched whenever the bell over the door rang and announced a new customer. 

"Hey … Everything alright there?" He asked between two bites of his burger. It wasn't often that Diego would indulge in such unhealthy food but Klaus needed to put some meat on those bones and, more importantly, he needed fatty foods right now to help with the cravings and the toll that the detox had put on his body. So, knowing that Klaus would hardly eat anything here at all if Diego wouldn't be eating too, the vigilante allowed himself this treat as well for now. Soon he would teach Klaus how to cook healthy - not that he did have money for stunts like that. 

Money would be running short soon. He wouldn't say it when Klaus was around but having him live with him was putting a strain on his finances. After all, Al was barely paying him anything for his custodial work. He was paid in being allowed to live at the gym and Klaus was not being paid at all. He would manage though if it meant keeping his brother away from the streets.

"Hm? Oh yes, peachy." Klaus replied quickly with that faux-grin Klaus thought could fool him after all this time together. As if to prove a point, he picked up another fry and shoved it into his mouth.

"You seem distracted." 

"I was thinking about going back to the academy."

"Where’s that suddenly coming from?"

"I just … I don't want to bug you." 

"I told you already that you aren't." Diego huffed. It wasn’t like Klaus to be this concerned whether or not he was bugging someone. He was, in fact, a bug. He had always been like this. He had never cared if he was bugging his siblings in any way. He had bullied his way under blankets or into hugs without a care in the world about his siblings’ need for personal space. So why would he care now? "So just be out with it, okay? What's the problem? You seemed fine at the gym and now you seem nervous and fidgety."

"It's just … the cravings."

"No, Bro. I know how you are when you have cravings. You are frightened and behaving paranoid. Why?" 

Klaus seemed uncomfortable and he could tell that he wanted to get up and leave but Diego quickly reached out to grab his brother’s hand that was lying on the table. His skin was cold against Diego’s skin. "Hey, come on no. You know that you can tell me everything, right? I won't judge you - I never did. I mean, remember how you fell down the stairs in Mom’s red pumps? Luther and Five laughed but I didn't judge you for wanting to try out Mom’s shoes and I didn't judge you either when I caught you in Allie’s skirt. Though I would implore you to never try on lace underwear again - please. My eyes never recovered." That got a small scoff out of Klaus. "If you need anything, I’ll help you."

"It's just … Okay, you won’t like to hear that shit, okay?" As if he liked anything he had ever heard about Klaus’ life outside of the academy. How much worse than what Diego had seen already could it be in the end? "So I’m just saying it. The guy that beat me up before I overdosed … He wasn't a dealer or shit … He was my pimp." Diego could feel his blood freeze all over. "I met him a few months ago at a club. We started hanging out, he hooked me up with a few dealers, we started dating, allowed me to stay at his house…"

"And then he needed money," Diego concluded but did his best to keep his voice low and calm. In his work on the streets and his short-lived time at the academy, it felt like he had heard this story a thousand times over. That was usually how those assholes got their girls or boys to work for them. "And he asked you to help him out."

"Yeah…" Klaus sighed and dropped his head forward so he could ruffle his curls with nervous hands. He could tell that Klaus felt embarrassed about this confession. It stung a little. Klaus should never feel embarrassed about anything he would tell him. "He was like  _ ‘Klaus, Baby, it's just this one time, okay? You did it before, it's no big deal and then I can get those people off my back' _ . So, I did it and decided to help him out - just this once."

"But it didn't stay this way."

"No." Klaus huffed and dropped his hands on the table again. He looked defeated as he glanced up at Diego again. "No, of course not. Shit like this never is over after one time, right? I mean, hey listen, I’m not pretending to be a saint, you know I’m not. But … before … when I was on my own out there, if I was hooking up with strangers for money or drugs it was on my own terms. It was not ideal but … I was not forced by anyone to do anything. And he didn't force me at first either. He was nice about it and for me, it wasn’t a big deal. I mean sure I liked him but it's not like I was in love or shit. I thought  _ ‘Hey he lets me live with him, he pays for my food and hooks me up with drugs, the least I can do is help him a bit with the bills, right?’ _ . That was how I justified all of this in my own head. We had a good arrangement, I thought. At least for a while."

"Until it turned ugly." Klaus gave a weak little laugh at that. Diego, however, remembered how he had first learned about how his brother was prostituting himself. He had still been at the police academy, fresh out of the mansion and off to become a lawman. He had found Klaus out there on the streets, getting out of some random car and not even trying to hide the money he quickly had shoved into the front of his pants. He would never forget how sick he had felt realizing that his brother - his beautiful, gorgeous brother - had been reduced to something like this because Reginald had destroyed him so much that he didn't see another way of coping other than drugs and alcohol. He had never told Klaus about it but back then he had decided that he would not go into the murder squad after his training but that he’d rather go to the squad that would deal with sexual offenses. Seeing Klaus like this had made him realize that there were not nearly enough cops out there protecting those who were the most vulnerable out there in the streets. He had wanted to help people like Klaus.

"And it turned ugly pretty quickly," Klaus muttered. "I will spare you the details and shit, I’m sure you can imagine, right? So … He got all serious about it, got mad when I didn't get enough money from the customers and before I knew it, he was out there with me on the streets and sometimes he would just bring me to a motel to work the customers he would bring me or he would drop me off at parties or whatever."

Bile rose in his throat and he tasted the bitter liquid on his tongue. Suddenly, the burger in his stomach felt heavy. He wanted to go out there, find the guy and rip him to shreds. He wanted to do that with anyone who dared to touch any of his siblings. Fuck, he would do that even for Luther if his brother would ever get in a situation where someone wronged him. But Klaus was just different. He had been out there and he had needed his help and Diego hadn't been there for him because he had kicked him out of his life four years ago. He was just as guilty as Klaus’ ex. He had thrown him to the wolves.

"How did you get away?"

"Well … I didn't really plan on it, I guess. I just … One night, after I had a few pills and way too much vodka, I just said to myself  _ ‘wouldn't it be funny if I would steal all his money and just fuck off?’ _ . So, I did." He chuckled. "He was asleep - probably didn't think I would do something like that - and I took his wallet and every pill I could find - hid them in my shoes. Then I headed out but he found me pretty quickly and beat my ass. I guess, he would’ve taken me back home but he must've thought I was dead or something because he just took his wallet and ran off like a little bitch. Surprise! I wasn't dead."

"That was the night you overdosed." 

"Yeah. After he left me there, I had a bit of time to myself when I came back to it. And then I had the bright idea to take the rest of my pills for the pain I was in. I was so out of it that I didn't realize that it was too much before I collapsed between a fucking dumpster and a few crates. It's a miracle I was found at all, I guess." 

"Let me guess: You are so paranoid because you are afraid that the guy is out looking for you, right? He would know by now that you aren’t dead after there was no report about something like this. I mean, sure, junkies die almost every night in a city as big as this but there would have been some news on the street." If this asshole wasn’t half stupid he would have figured it out by now. He would have walked the streets and heard people chatting about that junkie that overdosed and got transported to the nearest hospital. Had Klaus died from the beating, there would have been a crime scene, there would have been a report in the local newspaper. People would have talked. 

"You see … He doesn't really know who I am. I didn't tell him my full name … He would never expect me at the academy." 

"Hey, no." Diego bit out and clasped Klaus’ thin hands once more with both of his own on the table between them. The thought of Klaus wandering back into that mansion and into Reginald’s grasp was almost worse than everything he had just heard. "We can do this together, right? If he ever comes near you again, I’m gonna rip his lungs out and shove them up his ass. I mean … if you want to go back home … I’m not stopping you. You are an adult and have to make your own decisions and at least Luther would be around to protect you if it would come to it. I just … I want you to know that I’m gonna protect you just fine, right?" 

"Gee" Klaus huffed and looked down at his fries. He could clearly see the red tinge to his pale cheeks. "You really are my knight in shining armor, huh?"

"I wouldn't go as far." He replied. "I just want you to be safe." Especially after everything he had done to his brother. He wouldn't say that he felt guilty for what had happened. He didn't need to. The way Klaus looked at him told him that his brother understood. 

"Hey, listen I’ve gotta warn you though before we go back to the gym." Diego then changed the topic. "Rickie asked me if it was okay to hit on you. I told him that it wasn’t my decision to make but in light of what you just told me … I wanted to give you a heads up that he’s probably gonna ask you out soon. If you … I mean, I could tell him to stay away if you’d rather not."

"Nah, it's okay." Klaus huffed. "It's fine, Dee. But I must say that it is quite adorable that you are trying to play the big brother for me and are willing to fight off any suitors." 

"I already regret telling you." Diego huffed.

※※※※※※※

He liked the quietude of the gym when everyone had gone for the day. He liked having the place to himself - or to  _ themselves  _ as it was now. Klaus seemed a little out of place inside the boxing ring as he just stood there in the gym clothes he borrowed from Diego. They were too big on Klaus’ lean body, of course, but since they were alone, it didn't matter. He was prancing around in them anyway the whole day. 

"I’m not a fighter, Dee … You know that." 

"Yes, I do." Diego sighed. "So it's about time to make a fighter out of you." 

"Why do you always have to be so kinky?" Klaus laughed quietly. He was trying to buy time. That was not new. He was Klaus, after all. Klaus had always tried to get out of combat training when they had been living in the mansion. 

Of course, their combat training back in the day had been more of a torture session anyway, where someone like Klaus had been paired with someone like Luther which had resulted in Klaus having been beaten up instead of actually learning anything. Diego, however, much like Reginald, wouldn't allow this right now. The seed had started to blossom a few hours after they returned from their lunch date as Diego had found himself preoccupied with the story that Klaus had told him earlier. He had barely been able to focus on the teenagers that came by for their training again. 

The sheer fact that Klaus would willingly go back home to the academy out of fear had been strong enough of a red flag for Diego to consider giving his brother training again. It wasn't that Klaus  _ couldn't  _ fight either. He had learned how to fight from early childhood on just like Diego. He had been trained in various different combat styles as well - it was just that Klaus had always refused to actually fight or get into any sort of physical altercation. He was too much of a pacifist. However, that excuse had not worked with their father and it wouldn't be working on Diego now either. His brother needed to learn that pacifism was not always the right choice, that he needed to defend himself sometimes. At the very least, he needed to teach his brother to kick some serious ass.

"You’re not getting out of this." Diego huffed. "You can bitch and moan all you want, Baby, I’m not letting you off the hook."

"I reiterate: Why do you always have to be so kinky?"

"I just want you to be able to beat his ass if this guy ever makes the mistake of getting near you again, Brother. I want you to be able to defend yourself. I can't always be there if shit hits the fan. You’ll see, if you learn this and are willing to use this … you won’t need to feel afraid anymore."

"Who says that I’m afraid?"

"You wanted to go back to the academy." Diego scoffed. "That's more proof than I could ever need." 

"Ugh … You are no fun, Diego!"

"Yeah, yeah, quit your whining and take position. And don't act like you don't know how. We went through the same training so don’t lie to me or you sleep on the floor tonight." 

"You wouldn't do this to me! You would miss me!"

"I would certainly not miss your cold-ass feet." Diego scoffed. "I mean, gee, how do you always lose your socks in bed? Soon I will staple them to your ankles!" 

"Maybe I truly should learn how to fight so that I can defend myself from  _ you _ , brother dearest!" 

"Well, if that gets you to shut up I take what I can get." He took position opposite of his brother, his feet just hips wide apart. "Okay, I am gonna attack you now and you are going to block me."

"But if I know that you are gonna attack me then how will I ever be able to react when someone surprises me on the streets?" 

"Focus, Klaus!" Without further warning, Diego lunged at him only to have his brother duck and jump out of the way. "No dodging!" Diego laughed. "Blocking!" 

"How monstrous of you, Diego! To ask such a thing of me in light of my delicate situation!"

"You are not delicate at all!" The laughter of the two of the Hargreeves’ brothers was filtering through the empty gym as Diego finally got Klaus to play along - even though their training session became much more of a cat and mouse game in the end. The carefree feeling of his youth - long before endless training sessions in some water tank or being pitted against his siblings - returned easily when he was around Klaus. It was almost as if he had never lost it, as if they had never gone through all the trauma, pain, and hardships. He was a child again with Klaus, able to play around and be silly with no one judging or watching them. It had always been like this with Klaus - until it wasn't. Until them being together had started to take different shapes and came with a different flavor of emotion that, in his youth, Diego hadn't dared to explore despite his brother’s pleading gazes across the dinner table, despite the hand that had more often than not snuck itself into his own hand every once in a while. Until being with Klaus had become too painful. 

"Hey" Diego chimed up later when they returned to the boiler room and Klaus immediately fell into the bed in the corner as if it was his. "can I trust you not to burn down the gym while I’m gone?"

"Are you off vigilante-ing again?" Klaus sighed and there was some disappointment in his voice that Diego couldn't quite explain right now. 

"Yeah, I didn't go out for a week now … it's about time. That is if you hold down the fort?"

"Sure, I can do that," Klaus reassured him as he sat up on the bed again. There was something in the look he gave Diego that made the vigilante pause for a moment before taking his harness and strapping it to his chest. It was a weird little moment and over just as quickly as it began. "Be safe, okay?"

He couldn't quite say why but those words prompted a little smile to stretch on his face before Diego quickly shook it off again. "Sure. Try to get some sleep. And don't you dare to hog all the blankets again." 

**-End of Chapter 4-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to share your opinions on this story with me. I love reading your comments. It's what keeps me going <3


	5. Chapter 5

He woke up alone. That was not unusual. In fact, it had been the norm for most days of his life. He had never had a stable relationship, no partner to wake up next to in the morning. Even his last relationship could hardly be described as stable and his ex had been out and about mostly when Klaus had finally woken up in the mornings. Mainly because Klaus’ mornings were usually noons. However, since he started living with Diego - or rather squatting - Diego had always been with him in the morning, even after he had started doing his vigilante work again almost a week ago. 

Mostly he would wake up to Diego cooking breakfast for them or getting dressed or returning from his morning jog. Now, however, he was not to be seen and the clock at the wall read 7 AM.

The gym would open in two hours. That Diego wasn’t home yet, was highly unusual. His boots were not standing around and the bed looked like Diego had never returned to him to lie down. Fuck … Wasn't that a whole new level of messed up that it seemed so normal that they would share a bed like this? Yet, with Diego at his side, he was able to sleep through the nights without nightmares. He felt safe at his brother’s side. It had always been like this. 

There was no reason to be worried about his brother and yet, as Klaus crawled out of bed and headed upstairs to the showers to get ready for the day, he felt a bit of uneasiness creeping up on him. Diego would probably be back when he would be done with his shower, he told himself. Sure, Diego’s vigilante work was dangerous but Diego was not a child and he was not doing this for the first time either. He knew what he was doing and what he was capable of. No need to get his panties all up in a bunch over this. 

And, as he later got out of the shower, he indeed heard the backdoor of the gym creaking open and poked his head out of the locker room door just after he had tied a towel around his hips. "Christ on a cracker, Dee!" He exclaimed as he saw his brother closing the door after himself. He had his back turned to Klaus. "I was starting to get worried here!" At the sound of his voice, however, Diego turned around and revealed the true reason he had been running late. Although running … well, there wouldn't be a lot of running from now on in Diego’s life. 

His brother was walking on crutches, grimacing at the weird angle he was holding his left leg. 

"What happened?" Klaus was at his side right away, helping his brother any way he could as he was guiding him towards the boiler room. "What's wrong?" 

"I was kicked in the balls." He groaned as he carefully hobbled down the stairs into his lair with Klaus at his heels. 

"Come on!"

"Well" Diego sighed and sat down heavily on his bed. He looked exhausted and only now in the light of the boiler room apartment, Klaus was privy to the few bruises and scratches blossoming colorful on Diego’s face and his bandaged right hand. Well, seeing Diego hurt was not completely unusual, right? In his line of work, it seemed perfectly normal, even acceptable to get hurt from time to time while fighting off the bad guys. Still, it left Klaus feeling slightly uneasy now. "I had a run-in with a lovely gentleman." 

"Another robbery?"

"No … Crime was rather dull last night. Not much work to do there. I was on my way home when it happened. Actually, I met the guy right out front when he tried to get in."

"He wanted to break in?"

"Nope. Asked me about you when he realized that I work here." He felt his blood run cold. He had told Grant about his brother Diego who was a fighter at this boxing gym and who was also working here. It had been a sorry attempt of intimidation, he supposed and Grant, at the time, hadn't seemed like he was taking him seriously in any way either. "Asked me if I’d seen you, if I was your brother, said he was your boyfriend. I told him that I didn't know where you were, that I hadn't seen you in years, and told him to fuck off. He did."

"And you followed him." 

"Sure." Diego shrugged. "The guy came to  _ my  _ doorstep after the crap he put you through. I had to make sure it's him. So, I followed him to a payphone and he talked to someone about you. Let's say, it wasn't nice." He could almost see the scene unfold right in front of him. Diego, his white knight, his knight in shining armor, hearing someone talk shit about his little brother and deciding that guy needed to be taught a lesson. "I pulled him out of the booth and gave him a good beating."

"Clearly!" Klaus gestured towards Diego’s leg. "Fuck, Diego!" 

"Yeah … Well, it happens to the best." Diego shrugged again with a small roll of his eyes at Klaus’ outrage as if his injuries were nothing. Grant could have had a knife or a gun and yet Diego had thrown himself into danger just because of Klaus, just because of Klaus’ very poor choices in his male companions in the past. "I had him on the ground and the asshole kicked me in the knee and got a few punches in. I mean, I still won and he will probably never dare to come anywhere near you ever again but … yeah."

"You got your knee busted for me?" Klaus sighed and sat down next to him on the bed. "Dee … I didn't tell you who he was because I didn't want you to go all vigilante on the guy."

"Hey, I didn't seek him out, he sought me out," Diego replied with a small grin. "Plus, that guy is a fucking piece of shit that shouldn't be allowed to roam free anyway. I bound him to a pole when he was unconscious and called Eudora to pick him up. Wrapped him up like a present for her. He had enough drugs on him to keep him locked up for a while, I guess. So … at least you won’t need to worry about him anymore."

"And you got to the hospital … alone?"

"I called a cab. I mean ... You can't drive and with this knee, I can't drive either … I didn't want to pull you out of bed and … I know how much you hate hospitals, so … It wasn’t a big deal." Not a big deal? His brother had gotten his knee busted because of him -  _ for  _ him. Diego had gone after a guy he very well knew was dangerous and maybe even armed for him. 

As Diego just sat there and rubbed a hand over his face, Klaus allowed it all to sink in. The heavy feeling that settled into his stomach was nearly unbearable, as was the clammy chill of his skin. He was itching for a hit of something to take the edge off, itching for something to allow his mind to forget about all these things. Life seemed easier while being numb to the world. The little girl in the corner that stared at him out of big round eyes didn't make it any easier, nor did Ben who sat on the couch and was watching them out of tired eyes. 

"I need to convince Al now that I can still do my work so that he won’t kick us out." 

He couldn't help but throw himself at his brother and pull him into a tight hug at this. Neither one of them really cared that Klaus was only wearing a towel around his hips right now as Diego pulled him a little tighter instead of pushing him away. In the privacy of his own room, Diego was all too willing to lose his macho persona and forgo his fragile masculinity. Beneath all the doom and gloom, the leather and the sharp knives, Diego was a marshmallow man. At least when he was around Klaus. It had always been like this. Of course, the rest of their siblings had never been allowed to know that. As Klaus pulled away, though, Diego seemed a bit flustered.

"What was that for?"

"Just for … thank you." He sighed quietly. "Thank you. And don't worry about Al. Come on, lay down, get some rest. I’m going to open up the gym and take care of shit for you today and then I am finding a job."

"What- No, Klaus! You really don't need to-"

"Ssshh! Shut up. Let me handle it." 

※※※※※※※

Responsibility. In the Cambridge dictionary, it was defined as “to be in a position of authority over someone and to have a duty to make certain that particular things are done”. Responsibility was nothing that someone would necessarily align with the persona that Klaus Hargreeves had portrayed to the rest of the world since the age of four, when the ghosts had first reared their ugly little heads to scare the crap out of him. Maybe he would be different if he had never started to see ghosts as a child - or ever. Maybe he would be a responsible adult now if his powers would be levitation or telekinesis instead. Maybe, however, the persona of the jokester, the idiot, the trash-tier member of the Umbrella Academy, was just who he was, was just a part of his core personality, whether he liked it or not. Maybe his latest endeavors were bound to fail in just a matter of time now. Maybe he should have never taken Diego’s deal. 

Wouldn't it have been better to end it with a clean cut at the hospital instead of dragging all of this out and further hurt his brother who was willing to go after a known criminal just to defend Klaus? 

But had he never taken the deal, he would be out there again on the streets with Grant watching over him like a hawk from the next street corner. He would be out there in the cold, selling his body to the night whether he liked it or not. He would be out there, asking Ben to ‘just go away’ because he couldn't bear the thought that his dead brother would watch how much Klaus allowed others to degrade him and his body just for money and the next rush. It was true what he had told Diego. Selling your body because you decide to do so is a whole different can of worms than being forced to do so by someone else. 

He had experienced sexual violence before. It had to be expected with a life like the one he had led up until two weeks ago. What Grant had done to him, however, was something else. And yet, as he looked at himself in the mirror of the locker room now, he found that his injuries were healing and that he, thanks to Diego’s loving care, looked almost healthy. 

Diego … good old Diego. One could always rely on him. No matter how deep he would fall, Diego would be there to catch him. It was like a law of nature and, who knows? Maybe that was exactly what it was. With so much understanding shared between two souls without the need to talk at times, wasn't it likely that they had been created exactly like this? Wasn't it more likely that whoever had created them and brought them into this world had done this intentionally than it to be a pure coincidence? There was not one single other soul on this planet that Klaus had ever felt such a weird, inhuman, otherworldly, deep, horrifying, gut-wrenching connection with. From the start, his relationship with Diego had been very different from all the others and for the longest while, neither one of them had been able to explain it. And then the looks had started. The innocent touches had started. And then everything had fallen apart and now he was here. 

He was here, standing at the sink in the locker room, staring at his own pale reflection in the mirror and drove a hand through his curls. Responsibility. It all came back to this. It always came back to this. He had now a responsibility. Not to the world or his family or his father but to Diego. Diego who was, in essence in the same awful situation as he. Diego, who was effectively homeless. Diego, who possessed nothing besides the clothes on his back, a rusty old car, and a few items that he could easily fit into a duffel bag. The boiler room might not be much and most people would not even declare it a home but it was all Diego had and the only home that his brother had ever known besides the academy and Klaus would do his damndest to make sure that Al would not kick his brother out. Not after Diego had gone out there and beaten the crap out of Grant.

Yet, it seemed inevitable that he would fail. He couldn't get rid of that tiny voice in the back of his mind that sounded a whole lot like Reginald and reminded him of the failure that was his life so far on a regular basis. Whenever he had had a job in the past couple of years, he had fucked it all up in no time. 

"You are spacing out again." Ben, the ever nagging presence in his life, sighed from where he was sitting perched on one of the benches.

"Yes, and you have been banned from the locker room, if I recall." 

"I don't need to listen to you."

"Uhm, yes, you do, Number Six." Klaus huffed and turned away from his reflection as he gave it one last warning glare. "Last time I checked, I stood above you in the hierarchy, so I am, in fact, your superior and your leader when none of the others are around. A ghost in the locker room? That's just creepy. Oh and, hey! The ladies’ locker room is off-limits for you as well! Since I am now manning the helm, I will apply a now tolerance rule for ghosts in any bathrooms or locker rooms, Moaning Myrtle." 

Ben rolled his eyes at this statement with much more sass than he had any right to possess as a dead person. It might be Klaus’ bad influence over the past couple of years, still, death had changed Number Six in a great many ways. "Gee, who would’ve thought you could be such a party pooper?"

"I just don't want Diego to get into trouble because of me."

"Since when?"

"Since I am sober, you asshat. Come on, now, Al is about to show up and we need to open shop." 

The boxing gym had become a friend to him by now. Weird how some things turned out sometimes. He was here for almost two weeks now and it felt as if he had never been anywhere else, as if he had never done all the shit he had done in the past. Maybe that too was one reason why he took this so seriously. A tiny little part of him hoped perhaps still that, if he would do a good job here, then Diego might someday look at him and no longer see the useless junkie hooker from the street who would sometimes sleep in dumpsters or between garbage cans and in house entries. He was only twenty-three years old and yet he had already wasted so much of his life.

Of course, there was this part of him that wished he had never gotten sober. It was the same part that tried not to flinch away from the loud and gargled wailing coming from the ghostly figure in the corner. Gargled because the lower half of his face was missing. He was a young man with mangled hands wearing gym shorts, his boxing gloves still hanging over his right shoulder even in death. Klaus typically spotted him near the wall of fame where Al kept the photographs of long lost boxer legends that had all trained here through the decades. 

He ignored the wailing and gargling boxer and instead headed over to the doors to unlock them before he made sure everything was in order for the day to start.

"Okay," He said to himself - or to Ben who was now sitting on the front desk. "We’ve seen Diego do it countless times now. Let's see: the doors are open, the lights are on, the floors are clean, the bar is stocked."

"Good to go." Ben grinned. Apparently, his nervousness served to greatly delight his dead brother. Well, at least one of them was delighted. "Al won’t rip your head off, take it easy, just tell the old geezer what's happened and he will understand it. He likes Diego, otherwise, he would have already thrown him out for throwing his stupid knives all the time." 

"I hope you’re right Benny-boy, I hope you’re right." 

"I’m always right." 

Right on time, the front door opened from the outside and Al, the mostly disgruntled owner of the gym, stepped inside. He allowed the door to shut behind him before he took off his hat and jacket and walked further into the building. Al’s eyes quickly fell on Klaus who stood beside the counter and had another look around just to see that Diego was nowhere to be seen.

"Morning, Lad." He greeted tiredly and Klaus gave him a quick wave. "Where’s your brother?"

"He had an accident." Klaus quickly cut to the point. "Don't worry, he’s okay but he … Well, his knee got injured and he’s walking on crutches now."

"That is … not good." Al slowly stated with furrowed brows. So far, so good? At least Al had not yet started yelling at Klaus. It was a start, right?

"No, but don't worry! I’m here, right? I told Diego he should rest and that I would take care of everything." He could see it on Al’s face that the old man was not entirely convinced. He couldn't blame him for that either, he supposed. After all, Al knew his story - or at least parts of it. He knew enough, Klaus supposed. "I promise you, I won’t burn down the place."

"Sure, Kiddo, but can you train our youngsters like your brother does?"

"No, but-"

"And can you take his spot in his upcoming fight?"

"No, but-"

Al let out a long-suffering sigh as he scratched his head. "Okay, listen, Son. I allow you to take over for your brother for the time being but tell him that I still expect him to train his lads. He can do this while sitting down, he just needs to talk to them. You can fight too, right? Your brother told me your dad trained you guys in combat."

"Yes, but-"

"Good. If it comes to this, you will help the lads as well. I expect you to not disappoint me." 

One thing, that Klaus quickly realized during his first day in Diego’s shoes was that it wasn't as easy as it had looked from the outside looking it. The second thing was that a few of the other guys were much more openly flirting with him now. For some, it was clearly just light-hearted fun and banter that was not to be taken seriously in any way but there was this one guy, Rickie, who was different. Well, Diego had warned him about Rickie, hadn't he? 

Rickie was the type of guy who pretty much lived at the gym. Sure, Diego  _ actually  _ lived here but this was different. Every free minute he had, the man spent at the gym training and chatting with the other resident dude-bros. He was not unattractive perse but not really Klaus’ type either. Or … maybe he was too much of his type in a bad way. He was the type of guy like Grant was. Tall, big, blonde, sufficiently handsome, and with a strong build. Klaus had always had a thing for guys with a strong build. Last time, this had not worked out so well for him. 

Rickie, for lack of a better word, seemed delighted by the fact that Diego was not here right now as he walked over to where Klaus was sitting behind the bar as per usual.

"So alone today?" Rickie grinned when he stopped at the counter only to lean on it. "Where’s your brother?" 

"He got his knee busted," Klaus replied and felt bad for telling the other guy about it right away, weirdly enough. "So, I told him to stay down for a while and rest. This gym is now my kingdom and I will rule it with an iron fist."

"All hail the king then." Rickie huffed as he mockingly bowed to him. "What can I do to please you, your majesty?" A part of him found Rickie more charming than the other guy had any right to be.

"I don't know."

"Well, maybe a nice dinner at Adolfo's would suffice? Tonight at eight?" 

"I can't say that my brother didn't warn me about you." Klaus chuckled and, at Rickie’s confused face he added: "He warned me you would try to ask me out."

"So, is that a yes, or do you have to ask your brother for his permission first?"

"Honey, I don't need anyone's permission to do anything with my life. I’ve proven that to my dad a fucking while ago." Rickie still didn't seem satisfied with the answer or rather the lack thereof as he stared at Klaus. "Listen, I’m honored and shit but I … I just came out of a really bad relationship, okay? I’m just not ready to start anything new again just yet. And I would much rather stay inside anyway … I’ve just gotten clean and…"

"Oh, I get it." Rickie suddenly chimed up with a smile on his face as he stood up straight again. "Hey, listen, no worries, okay? I get it. I stopped drinking a while ago."

"You did?"

"Yeah … had it pretty rough growing up, started drinking as a teen, never stopped until last year. I found the gym right after and … Well, the rest is history. So no, I totally get it. Take your time and … Well, whenever you’re ready, I’m here to treat my king to a glorious meal." 

"Who knows? I might just take you up on that offer." Klaus smirked. The door to the gym opened and allowed a young woman to walk into the building. His smile dropped right as he took sight of her. Sure, he didn't mean to react this way but he couldn't go against his instinct.

Eudora Patch had hardly changed from the woman he had first seen when he had visited his brother at the academy and he couldn't pretend that he would like to see her now, years later walking back into his brother’s life. Her own expression changed marginally when she spotted him behind the bar. He could see the hesitation in her movement as if she wanted to turn around and leave again and yet, she walked up to him instead.

She had this tough girl facade down to a T. She was the big bad wolf, the strong woman with the zero bullshit attitude - and Klaus didn't believe her one bit. Just like he didn't believe her smile when she approached him now. "Klaus!" She greeted him as if they were long lost friends. "I didn't expect to find you here. I see you and Diego made up?" Why did he feel like he was being interrogated already? 

"Something like that." He replied with a smile of his own. "Looking good there, Eudora! Like your new haircut. What's it been? Three years?"

"Four." She corrected swiftly and her smile turned sharp like that of a shark. Could sharks smile? Well, she did, anyway.

"But I guess you didn't come to see my gorgeous mug, right? Dee’s in his humble abode. Resting."

She blinked in confusion. "Diego Hargreeves? The Diego Hargreeves? Resting?"

"I told him to."

"And he did what you said?"

"Apparently so."

"He’s still in one piece, though, is he?"

"Last time I checked everything was still attached."

"Wow … Okay. Then … Yeah, I’m gonna check on him. Have something to talk to him about." Instead of leaving him right away, Eudora lingered for another two seconds and drummed her fingers on the counter between them. "Uhm .... what exactly are you doing here anyway?"

"Working."

"Work- ... You’re working here?"

"I fill in for Dee." That served even more to confuse her as it seemed the way he looked at him now. "As long as he’s incapacitated."

"Okay…" She muttered and exchanged a small look with Rickie before she slapped the counter between them and then headed to the boiler room. 

"Who was that lady?" Rickie huffed. "Didn't seem happy to see you."

"Diego’s ex," Klaus replied quietly. "She hates my guts."

"What did you do to her?"

"What didn't I do?"

※※※※※※※

A knock at his door woke him up after this rather eventful night. The painkillers he had received at the hospital had already lost their effect but at least they had given him a prescription for it. Come to think about it … He should better hide the pills from his brother. The sole fact that someone was knocking at his apartment door told him that it wasn’t Klaus. His brother had no reason to knock as long as he was living with Diego at the boiler room. Hell, even if he wouldn't be living with him, he would probably not knock. He could not recall a single time in their shared lives when Klaus had actually knocked or respected another person’s privacy. And Al would usually follow up his knocking with a shout of sorts. The fact that Al had not yet shouted at him through the door told him that he had accepted Klaus’ offer to fill in for his poor injured brother. 

Curiosity got him to leave the bed and only as he planted his feet on the ground, he remembered his busted knee. "Fuck!" He exclaimed as the pain flared through his body like a red hot poker right away. Immediately, the door opened from the other side. The last person he would have expected to see at his home now was Eudora Patch and yet it was her who entered his domain as if it was the most normal thing. She paused momentarily as their eyes met from across the room. 

Suddenly, as if deflated by seeing him, she seemed a bit flustered but resumed her trek down the stairs towards him. Diego knew her well enough to know that she was just trying to play her previous alarm and possible worry off for now. 

"Eudora." He greeted her at last after he managed to untie his tongue. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Well, I didn't want to come." She shrugged. "But you didn't leave me another choice after you decided to play Santa Clause and delivered a known criminal to us as an early Christmas present."

"You’re welcome." He huffed. 

"I’m not here to thank you." Of course, not. "I just want to know how you got him in the first place. The guy had enough drugs on him to charge him with the intent of selling them and since he already has a record, it should be an open and shut case. What happened to your leg?"

"What do you want me to answer first?"

"The criminal, Diego." She rolled her eyes, the ‘obviously’ left unsaid.

"Let's just say I knew the guy through a friend."

The groan that escaped her told him what exactly was going on in her mind even before she said it. "Klaus." She sighed. "You know him through Klaus. Okay, since that guy is known to be quite violent, can I assume that this is how you got your leg injured as well?"

"Listen, it was … a happy accident that I met the guy last night and could detain him for you. But yes, he injured me."

"What has he to do with Klaus?"

"He’s his ex." Diego sighed and dragged a hand over his face. "Okay, so … two weeks ago I got the call that he overdosed again and I went to the hospital to check on him. That guy has beaten him to a bloody pulp, okay?" 

"I thought you would never help him again." 

"What did you expect me to do? He’s my brother and he needed my help."

"Yes, he is." She groaned. "And he is the reason that you got kicked out of the police academy! It's been two weeks and you already got hurt because of him!" 

"The guy beat my brother half to death and forced him to prostitute himself!" Diego growled as he looked at Eudora. Her face lost a little of the usual hardness she tried to keep up ever since they had broken up. There was a hint of softness creeping up on her. A part of him wanted to warn her about being too sympathetic. "What was I supposed to do? Let the guy run around like this? Listen, I didn't even intend to find him, okay? It just happened."

"And then you decided to take revenge for your beloved baby brother. How did he even manage to bust your knee like this?"

"He had a crowbar - before you ask, I didn't tell Klaus. I didn't want to make him more scared or feeling more guilty than he already is. But that guy showed up in front of the gym last night in search of Klaus, okay? He had a fucking crowbar with him and was looking for my brother who just got out of the hospital and who just got clean. Do I need to say more? He had it coming, okay?" 

"Jesus … Diego…" She brushed a hand through her hair. "What do you expect me to say to this? I mean … You know him better than I and…"

"He’s clean." He insisted. "This time it’ll stick."

"Why? Because you got him through the detox? Might I remind you of the last time you did this for him?"

"No, you might not. I was there." He growled. "And yes, I know what happened and how flighty he is and that you can't believe anything a junkie says but … Okay, you don't like him and I get that, okay? That doesn't mean he has to fail again, okay?"

"Listen, Diego … No, I don't like him. Not after what he did to you last time. But still, I hope that you are right and that this time it’ll stick, okay? I just … I want you to be careful. I want you to not get your hopes up again only for him to crush them. Be … careful. And have an eye on him up there. You have something good going on here in the gym. It's not what you wanted but it's a good thing and I can tell that Al likes you and trusts you and Klaus…"

"He has a tendency to destroy things."

"Yes." She sighed. "He destroys things."

**-End of Chapter 5-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to tell me what you think, I always love to read your comments! <3 It's truly what keeps me going <3


	6. Chapter 6

_ The air was hot and heavy inside the boiler room but not the often malfunctioning boiler was responsible for it this time. The wooden pallets that were forming some sad excuse for a bed were creaking and moaning under the weight of the two men on it. In the back of his mind, the idea that the bed wouldn't withstand their activities crossed his mind only for a second or two. Even if his bed would crumble beneath them it would be worth it. _

_ The figure on the bed beneath him felt tight and hot around him, his flesh molding around Diego’s length as if it was intended to take it all in. Fuck, for all they knew, it was. For all they knew, some higher being, some eldritch monstrosity, some Lovecraftian horror, had created them for exactly that reason - to share this tight embrace as their lips found each other once more to drown their deep immoral moans in another heated kiss.  _

_ Klaus’ body was taught as a bowstring as he dragged calloused hands down his torso and pushed deeper into him. His skin glistened with sweat as he lay in the crumpled-up sheets, his eyes foggy with lust as they chased after Diego’s own gaze. He sat back on his heels, never breaking the connection between their quivering bodies to drink in the sight beneath him - the tousled curls, the flushed pale skin, the bite marks on his throat. No longer were bruises littering Klaus’ smooth skin, no longer were marks left on him by other men. He was his. His. And there was a knocking on his door. _

_ "Diego" Klaus moaned and the sound vibrated deep inside his soul. His name tumbling from Number Four’s lips tasted like sweet wine on a hot summer’s day. He never wanted to hear anything else ever coming from Klaus’ lips again. "Diego!" His name seemed all his brother was suddenly capable of saying, the only word left existing in his hazy mind. _

"Diego!" Something kicked his shin. "Diego there’s someone at the door!" He shot upright at once, the images from his dream still clinging to his mind as his heart was racing and thundering against his unyielding ribcage. There was a knock at his door. 

"What the hell…" He found himself muttering and looked around his room in a confused daze. Klaus was still in bed next to him, lying on his stomach, his curls a tousled mess, the blankets wrapped tightly around him, unwilling to get up. The knocking didn't stop.

"Dee!"

"Don't Dee me!" He groaned and allowed his back to fall back into the bed. "I’m injured. Get your ass up yourself. You’re closer to the door anyway." 

Klaus wouldn't be Klaus if he would actually do as he was told. As the knock came again, he just lifted his head the bare minimum and yelled: "Come in already!" It didn't even seem to occur to him that there could be someone out there who was not familiar with their odd living situation, someone who would think weird shit about them sharing a bed - or at the very least someone Diego didn't want inside his apartment. Like so often in the past, Klaus showed a complete disregard for personal space and privacy. 

"Klaus, what the fuck?" He already gasped and sat up once more, pulling at the blankets to at least cover himself in his pitiful condition as the door was opened from the other side. Admittedly, he behaved like a teenager that was surprised by his mom while jerking off in bed. To his genuine surprise, it was Eudora who entered the boiler room, two cups of take-away coffee in her hands. She paused in the door as she had time to take in the mess on the bed in the corner. For a moment, she seemed at a loss for words but it was Klaus, as per usual, who managed to get the ball rolling.

"Oh, Eudora dear!" He chimed up. "Good Morning. You bring me coffee? How sweet of you!"

"It's for Diego, actually." Eudora huffed and let the door fall shut behind her as she finally came down the stairs. "I didn't know that you drink coffee, or I had brought you one too."

"Nah, I don't. Too bitter." Klaus replied with a yawn and still made no effort of actually getting out of bed until Diego kicked him. "Ouch!"

"Don't you have stuff to do? If she’s in here, it means Al is already in the gym!" 

"Oh shit!" Klaus finally realized and got startled into action as he somehow untangled from all the blankets and stumbled to his feet. He had been asleep when Klaus had come to bed last night and now he realized that his brother hadn't even changed into his sleeping clothes last night. "Shit, shit, shit!" With that, Klaus hurried past Eudora and out of the room. 

"So" Eudora broke the silence and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You guys are sharing a bed now?" 

He couldn't help but feeling a little embarrassed the way she said it. There was no insinuation in her voice, nothing that would make him suspect that she thought that there was something else going on between the two Hargreeves’ boys and yet he felt like he needed to justify all of this. 

"I didn't want him to sleep on the couch when he was so badly injured and I didn't want to sleep on the couch either." He replied. "The bed’s big enough and Klaus … He actually sleeps when he isn’t alone in bed. Because of his nightmares, I wouldn't get much sleep otherwise." 

Finally, he took the coffee Eudora offered to him with a sympathetic smile. "So, how’s your leg?" She smiled. 

"Still attached." He sighed. "Hurts like a fucking bitch, though. I can't believe this shit … You know how much I hate it when I can't do shit." 

"Yes, yes" She huffed. "I know. You can be a real whiny bitch. I recall you whining when you had this flu during academy time." 

"I wasn’t whining." He grumbled and took a sip from his coffee. Eudora just scoffed and rolled her eyes. She looked different, somehow. Only after a few seconds, he realized that she wasn’t wearing her hair the usual way. She was allowing it to flow freely around her face for once. "Anyway … Did you come all this way just to bring me coffee and tell me that I am a whiny baby?" 

"No." She chuckled at his response. This situation felt oddly familiar after all this time shared together as a couple. "That's only one part of why I came."

"Aha." He smirked. "I see, you already missed my handsome face." 

"You know what? You and your brother, you deserve each other." She laughed. "No wonder he only behaves like an almost normal person around you. You two are two peas in a pot!"

"Guilty as charged, Madame."

"No for real. I just wanted to see how you’re doing." She shrugged. 

"Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised. We are friends, right."

"I wasn't aware." He huffed. "Not after you threw me out with the words: “I never want to see you again, Diego Hargreeves!” and slammed the door in my face. Or after you tased me the other night at that crime scene. Or after you locked me up after that robbery I stopped. Or after-"

"Yes, yes, okay! Okay, you've got a point I admit it! Still … hearing you’ve gotten injured like this and just because of your brother again … I started to worry, okay? There, you have it. I know what Klaus does to you, Diego. I know that you always try to help him and that you are all too willing to drop all sensible and rational thought when it pertains to your ‘baby brother’ and so … Fuck, I just wanted to see if you're alright or-"

"Or if he has robbed me again of all my shit and left town."

She looked guilty for a moment before she sighed: "Yeah." 

"Listen, I get why you think this but he changed. He really did."

"Diego … You said that last time. Remember? Four years ago? Remember how we met him in the streets and how you took him into the dorms? You hid him there until his wounds were better and you believed him when he told you he was clean." She said all this as if he hadn't been there to live through it and he wanted to yell at her for it. "Meanwhile he never stopped using and went around the dorm stealing shit from the others - and from you and me, might I add. What's different now? You freaked out when he told you that he had slept with guys for money and that he stole all that shit to buy drugs and pay off his debts! You were so pissed that you’ve beaten him up so badly you almost landed him in the hospital after he got you kicked out. Which he probably doesn't even know, right?"

Yes, what was different now? Her hand came to rest on his forearm. The touch was warm and kind and a few years ago, it would have left him with the desire to pull her close and kiss her but right now, he still had the images of his dream clinging to the back of his mind. Fuck … that was just a lot to unpack right now. 

"I’m just worried, Diego. He ruined your life once and I don't want to see him do it again to you. You always had a soft spot for him and he always knew how to use this against you too." 

She was right. Of course, she was right. Fuck, she knew him better than most anyone on this planet and she had seen the damage that Klaus had been able to do to him in the past. Only Klaus had always been able to get under his skin like this. Only Klaus had always been able to hurt him the way he had four years ago. 

"I know." He sighed and she took his hand in hers and started gently rubbing circles into the back of his hand with her thumb. "I know you’re right but I … Okay, I know that it's dumb and that I’m probably gonna regret it but I just have to give him another chance, okay? I just have to hope that this time it's different."

"See?" She smiled. "That's what I always loved about you, Diego. You always see the best in others, you always try to help others, no matter what. Beneath all that stupid leather you are kind, and strong, and vulnerable. All I want from you is to take care that he’s not gonna use your good heart against you again." 

※※※※※※※

Al was angry. Rightfully so. He had found the gym locked when he arrived and although Klaus had apologized a thousand times already, the old man was still pissed. Fuck, Klaus was pissed too! Day three in his little adventure of taking over from his brother and he had already fucked things up for Diego! Then again, in his defense, Klaus had always been an early riser - mostly because he never slept much thanks to the ghosts. He couldn't recall ever oversleeping in his life. Not with a life like he had been living first in the academy and then later on in the streets.

"Stop beating yourself up. Al has already forgiven you." Ben sighed. Klaus, however, tried to pay him not too much attention as he tried figuring out how to fix the broken shower in the men's showers. "And Diego will too! I mean not that he cares right now that the hot detective lady is there, right?"

"Shut your face, Ben!" Klaus sighed. "And yes, he will care! I promised him to do a good job and on day three I already fuck everything up and now I don't know how to fix this piece of crap! And don't call her hot, it's sexist!"

"But she is hot!" Ben chortled. "And Diego will fall for her again head over heels."

"No, he won't," Klaus muttered. The thought of Eudora stepping back into Diego's life like this left him frustrated. Sure, he had no right to say anything about it or even critique her, but she too had hurt Diego and she had kicked him out of her apartment and her life, right? So … she had no right of coming back now. Well … Not that  _ he  _ had any right to his brother either … Still, he didn't like the thought of Diego getting back together with her. "Have you seen the way she looked?" He then sighed. "She had her hair down."

"Yes, she had." Ben huffed and Klaus just sent a glare at his brother. It was no secret between them that Klaus had been head over heels for Diego a long time ago. And it was no secret that even to this day, he compared every single guy he met with the Kraken. In his eyes, Diego had always been the ideal guy. He was smart, kind, gentle, vulnerable, strong, handsome, and he would help a granny over the street even if it would mean he would be late to his own wedding. He had a gooey soft core and a hard outer shell. He was gruff and edgy but the sweetest person Klaus had ever known and he was … gullible. He was so, so gullible. At least when it came to Klaus. 

"Anyway." He then sighed. "You know what? Fucking ghosts man."

"I take offense to that."

"I don't mean you - obviously," Klaus replied. "I mean Werner!"

"What's with Werner now? Poor guy didn't do anything to you!"

"No, he didn't!"

"He taught you how to fix a fucking boiler!" Ben laughed. "Remember when you squatted at that place two years ago and the old boiler almost exploded on you? If it hadn't been for Werner you’d be dead now."

"No, I would have run away-"

"And frozen to death in the streets!"

"Tomayto, tomahto!" He groaned. "Anyway! Why didn't he show me how to fix this stupid bitch of a shower too? I mean what good is it if I can see ghosts if I cannot summon Werner to help me right now?" 

"It can't be that bad." Ben chuckled in amusement as he finally walked over to him. Together the brothers stared at the leaking pipe of the shower. "Okay, the thing is leaking water."

"Yes, I can see that." 

"So, you need to figure out why it does that."

"No shit, Sherlock!" 

"Maybe this has something to do with the drainage?"

"The what?"

"The drainage!"

"I’m pretty sure you have no idea what that means, you muppet." Klaus groaned. "No, it has something to do with the water pipe, obviously!"

"No, no I don't think you’re right." 

"Okay, listen up, Casper. I think I found the problem. See that nifty little ring there?"

"You mean the nut?"

"Now is not the time to get kinky. Look how rusty it is! And it's not as tight as the ones on the other showers. The water leaks out right above the thingy."

"So you should probably tighten it."

"Yeah." Klaus sighed and stepped over to where he had placed Diego’s toolbox. His brother didn't need to know that there was a problem with one of the showers nor that Klaus had taken his toolbox. He quickly found the right tool for the job - at least he hoped he had. It was a wrench. Even he knew the name of that thing. A few seconds later, Klaus had tightened the ring that Ben insisted calling a nut as much as he was able to with his mediocre arms strength. "Fuck yes!" He laughed. "Look Benny, no leakage anymore!" 

"Who are you talking to?" 

Klaus whirled around on the spot and almost lost his footing on the slippery tiles. One of the usual gym rats stood in the doorway staring at him in confusion. He felt his face flush almost right away as he came face to face with Bill like this. Like most guys here he was big and tall and could easily crush Klaus with one hand tied to his back. Not that this would matter anyway. Most people at the gym were quite friendly with him since they had grown accustomed to him being here. 

"Oh … Just … myself." He tried playing it cool with a chuckle. Living at the gym was very different from living on the streets. In the streets, no one had ever cared if he was talking to thin air. He had been just another insane homeless junkie, right? Here, however, he was supposed to be normal and his brother would be asked about his weird behavior if he would keep it up like this. "Just finished fixing up this bad boy!" He then grinned and pointed at the shower with the wrench before he chugged it back into the toolbox.

"Oh … okay," Bill replied with a small smile as Klaus went to take the box under his arm to leave the showers. "Hey, Klaus?" Bill then chimed up again as if he had just remembered something. He wasn't moving into the room further, just stood there and stared at him while Klaus came in his direction. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure." 

"Uhm" Somehow he didn't like the way Bill stood in the doorway, effectively blocking it for him with his massive body. His gut feeling told him that this was not a good thing. "Is it true that you … Uhm … I mean is it true that you are a hooker?" 

His blood didn't freeze over and there was nothing heavy dropping in his stomach either. Yet, the question left him feeling deeply unsettled just by the weight of it. "What?"

"One of the other guys told me he saw you at the motel on Calhoon a few times … with other guys. And … well … if you are-"

"I’m not." He growled, suddenly feeling agitated just by the question, despite the truth behind it. He had no right to be angry that people were asking these kind of questions though, had he? That was, at least what this ugly little voice in the back of his mind told him. Before all of this had started, he hadn't felt embarrassed about his line of work or what he would do to ensure his survival but here at the gym … it was just something different, right? He wanted to leave all of this behind him, start fresh and not disappoint his brother anymore with any of his poor life choices. 

"Sorry!" Bill replied and held up his hands in surrender.

"No … it's … It's okay … It's just … Fuck, I mean … yeah … I was." He finally admitted quietly and if Bill had noticed that he had hit a raw nerve there, he didn't show it. "But I’m trying to leave all of this behind me, you know? I’m trying to start fresh and … finally start a life for myself, so…"

"Okay, yeah I get that," Bill replied with a friendly enough smile. For a second, Klaus thought that this conversation was over and that Bill had understood what impact his question had had on Klaus. But then the other man opened his mouth again and turned Klaus’ world on its head once more. "So … you wouldn't want to fuck for a few hundred bucks then?" 

"No." He bit out as he tried his best not to show the anger rising inside of him once more. It was a bubbling thick mess right underneath his skin.

"I can get you drugs if that's more to your liking."

"No!" He replied a bit louder now. "I’m not doing this shit anymore, okay? And now, if you would allow me to, I need to get back to work." 

He should have expected the anger as Bill suddenly swung at him out of the blue. Maybe he had been naive not to expect this sudden aggression directed at him. Maybe he was stupid not to have seen it coming. Bill’s fist caught him right on the left side of his mouth. He could feel how his lips split on impact and stumbled back, almost losing his footing but just dropping the toolbox instead with a loud shattering crash as the lid popped open and scattered Diego’s tools everywhere. Bill was quick to advance further on him, pushing Klaus back into the showers and farther away from the door while Klaus was still stunned.

"Klaus!" Ben yelled at him. "Klaus you need to defend yourself!" The next punch aimed at his ribs and Klaus was barely able to dodge it. It dawned on him suddenly that Bill knew about his previous injuries and that he was aiming for the still healing bruises and wounds all over his body to make it easier. 

Bill was quick as he grabbed for him to pull him close and his intentions clear after Klaus so rudely brushed him off before. He knew this type of man. He knew how quickly they could fly into a rage when they got denied by someone they thought had no right to deny them. His heart was beating too fast, slamming into his ribcage. For once, however, he didn't feel paralyzed by his panic. He had Diego’s voice lingering in the back of his mind.  _ Block, stun, knee _ . That was what his brother had told him over and over again.

So, as Bill moved to grab his collar, Klaus quickly blocked the attack with his left forearm before he pushed two fingers of his left hand into Bill’s eyes and then just as quickly rammed his knee upwards and into Bill’s groin. The other guy yelled in pain and Klaus made a dart for the door. Bill was quicker, though, despite the pain he certainly was in. He grabbed Klaus by the leg of his sweatpants - Diego’s sweatpants - and subsequently made him slam into the ground full force. He could taste blood in his mouth and didn't have any chance to scramble away quick enough as Bill suddenly delivered a kick to the side of his head. After this, everything was just a blurry whirlwind of distant sounds and emotions. 

He could barely hear Ben shouting for him, could barely feel the barrage of kicks that Bill delivered to his body before he seemed satisfied and pulled down his sweatpants including the boxer shorts underneath. He gave one last effort to squirm away but he could barely cling to consciousness. It was better this way. He knew it was. He should just allow darkness to take him away at once. Later he could wake up, collect what was left of him, take a shower, gather himself, and pretend like it hadn't happened. Just like all the other times before. 

It didn't come to it. He caught on to some sudden movement by the door and although he strained his eyes and ears, he could barely make out what was actually happening around him. His mind was filled with cotton and his ears with marshmallows. However, something had to have happened. There were hands on him and his first instinct was to squirm away again, but the hands were warm and soft and they pulled his pants back up. Then there were voices again. Someone was shouting. The voice seemed familiar but it wasn’t Ben. And then, darkness took him at last. 

He woke up to a cool sensation on his forehead and when he opened his eyes he came to regret it right away. The light was too bright the colors too vivid and the noises too loud. 

"Klaus?" There was that gruff and familiar voice again.

"We should call an ambulance!" Another voice called out.

"He might have a concussion!" There were so many different voices now that he couldn't quite discern. They started to bleed into each other and made it impossible to focus on anything. He wanted to tell them to shut up but he couldn't even move his mouth.

"Should I call one?"

"I tell Al!"

"Are his eyes open? What's with his pupils?"

He felt nauseous. There were too many people around, too many voices, too much movement. He wanted to turn away from everything but someone was holding his head. He tried focussing his eyes again but the person that was looming over him was just a formless blob. He liked that blob though. He knew that blob well.

"Klaus, hey…" Diego’s voice was soft as he talked to him, gentle even. His touch, as he brushed his fingers softly across his cheek was kind and tender, as if he was afraid Klaus would break into a million tiny pieces if he would use more force. "Calm down. It's okay. Everything is okay." 

"Al called the ambulance!" Another voice suddenly chimed up from behind Diego. Only now Klaus started to realize that he was still lying on the floor in the showers and that there were people around him, staring at him. He felt naked under their scrutiny but Diego had a way to direct his attention only at him.

"You got hurt pretty bad there." He murmured. "Don't worry, Bill has been taken care of. Patch arrested him when we saw what happened."

"Wha… happen’?" He couldn't even form the words properly. His words were slurred and it cost him too much effort to speak at all so Diego shushed him right away and gently brushed a few curls out of his forehead. 

"Bill attacked you," Diego muttered. "If Rickie hadn't been there … He saved you. I wasn't quick enough … It was already over when Patch and I arrived." 

He sounded remorseful as if it was his fault what happened. He sounded guilty for not being the one who had saved Klaus. But Rickie had. Maybe he wasn't that bad a guy. Maybe he wasn't like Grant and all the others. Right now, all of this was too much to really think about, though. 

"You need to stay awake now, okay? Until the ambulance is here. Can you do that for me, lil’ Bro?" 

Klaus tried giving a nod but as he tried pain was flaring through his entire body so he only groaned. Diego still got it, as it seemed. 

"Good." He said patiently. "Good." A part of him wondered how Diego was even sitting on the floor with his hurt knee but Diego had always had an enormous disregard for his own body or any injuries at all. 

"Everything’s gonna be fine, Klaus. I promise." 

"Feel like a … punchin’ bag…" 

**-End of Chapter 6-**


	7. Chapter 7

It was a horror trip. Somehow he had stumbled straight into a nightmare. Seeing Klaus lying on the floor of the showers like this had made him age by ten years in just a few seconds - at least it felt like it as he sat at Klaus’ bedside now. It wasn’t the first time that he had found his brother injured in any way, of course, and yet this time it had been different. This time, his brother had not been jumped and beaten up in the streets. It had happened right underneath Diego’s nose, so to say. His brother had been lucky. Had Rickie not noticed the commotion in the showers, everything might have turned out much worse for him. Right now, Diego could just sit by his side and watch for the doctor to complete patching him up. 

"I’m fine, Dee," Klaus muttered quietly. "You can stop squeezing my hand now or the poor, handsome doctor has to fix that as well." 

The ‘poor, handsome’ doctor just gave a small chuckle at the remark but continued to stitch the wound at the side of Klaus’ head diligently. His brother really didn't look good right now. He was three shades paler than usual, his voice sounded raspy and entirely too soft to belong to  _ his  _ Klaus. The shirt he was wearing was stained with his own blood and the cut through his lips would probably leave a permanent scar on him. Diego had more than enough scars to know shit like this. 

"It's understandable that your boyfriend is worried, Mr. Hargreeves." Dr. Handsome, how Klaus had dubbed him, replied calmly as he made the last stitch before cutting off the thread cleanly. He didn't know why but at the remark his heart fluttered more than it had any right to.  _ Fuck _ . 

"Oh" Klaus murmured quietly. "No, he’s my brother." 

"Adopted," Diego added with a quick glance at Klaus. He almost felt as if he had to somehow justify anything in front of the doctor - as if they had done anything wrong and he needed to clear up that it was completely okay because they were not really related. As if holding his brother’s hand was a step too far over the line. Yet, he couldn't quite deny that Klaus telling the doctor that they were brother’s left a sour taste in his mouth. Why would he correct the other man? It wouldn't have been necessary to correct them, right? It wasn’t important whether or not the other man would think that they were a couple. Unless, of course, it was important to Klaus to make sure people would know. Unless, of course, it was making Klaus feel uncomfortable if people would think that they were a couple. 

"Oh, my bad." The doctor smiled. "I didn't want to-"

"It's okay," Klaus smirked and cut Dr. Handsome off quickly before the other man could start apologizing for his honest mistake. "People think that all the time."

"Do they?" Diego now interjected with a frown only for Klaus to shrug his shoulders.

"Sure." And he said it as if it wouldn't mean anything, as if Diego's stomach wasn't making somersaults at the insinuation - or as if Klaus wouldn't mind people thinking that they were a couple. Admittedly, Diego had never been good at reading other people but he had always thought that he could read Klaus. He had always thought that Klaus might have felt the same way as he had during their teenage years but after his previous remark and clarification to the doctor, he hadn't been sure about that anymore.

What if Klaus didn't mind if people thought that they were a couple? He seemed so nonchalant about it right now. But, of course, that could be his head wound speaking, right? Surely, his brother wasn’t thinking right at the moment. 

Yet, a long time ago, they had almost become a couple. Back then he hadn't really grasped it. He had been nothing more than a stupid teenager, after all, but the older he had grown and the more experience he had gained, the clearer the picture had become in his mind - or at least so he had thought up until a few seconds ago. The thought had always lingered in the back of his mind like a virus. Was Klaus feeling the same way? Was he too trying to imagine the ‘what ifs’ of their lives if they had gotten together as teenagers?

Fuck, they both knew it wouldn't have worked out, right? That's why they hadn't taken the step forward when they could have done it, after all. They would have destroyed each other and they still would. Klaus probably knew this. Klaus, with everything he had seen and experienced so far, knew that it wouldn't work out between them, that they would be bad for each other. And yet, everything he had been able to think about since he had found Klaus in the showers, was that he had once again missed his chance. 

However, now they were no longer stupid teenagers anymore and if he would do anything it would no longer be a horny teenager with not many options at hand fooling around with another teenager. If he would try anything now … and if Klaus would push him away … the thought was like a neverending nightmare.

Maybe Eudora was right. He was in too deep again. Klaus had always had this effect on him. He lured him in and then he would crush him. Almost three weeks and he was already having weird sex dreams about Klaus, contemplating every waking second to kiss him and tell him how he felt for him while his brother was probably still in dire need of time to recover from what he had gone through at the hands of this monster that was his ex-boyfriend. And now that. He hadn't been there to protect him. 

This was torture.

Dr. Handsome left not too long afterward, telling Klaus that he should rest for at least two days and not strain himself too much. Luckily, he had only one bruised rib, no concussion, and other than this only a few cuts and bruises. He shouldn't have any injuries at all. How the fuck had that even happened while he had been chatting to Eudora?

"Dee?" Klaus tried getting his attention. "Hey, Diego … what's wrong?" 

"Nothing." He murmured and finally let go of Klaus’ hand to brush a hand over his own tired face. He felt exhausted and as if he needed at least ten years of sleep after today. Klaus had been attacked and almost been raped at the gym where they both lived now. He had been attacked in his own home, so to say. Not even the gym was safe for Klaus. The gym, Diego’s safe haven, was no longer safe. It was just … a fucking nightmare and Diego didn't know if he would ever be able to feel at ease there ever again. It had to be much worse for Klaus. "I’m … It's just … I’m-"

"Don't say that you’re sorry," Klaus muttered and reached out on his own accord to take a hold of Diego’s hand once more to give it a reassuring squeeze. "I’m fine. I will be up at running again in no time. It's okay, Diego. It's not your fault. You couldn't know that something like this would happen, right? If anything … If anything, it's my own damn fault. I mean … with the life I’ve been leading, right? Of course, the others at the gym would find out about my previous … profession. I know how shit like this works, Dee. It's really not your fault. Men like Bill … there are millions like him out there. They think … they think just because you once put a price tag on your body that you don't have the right to say no to them when it's off - or when it's still on." He gave a small laugh but it sounded as if something inside him was shattering. "Even before Grant, you know … When I was desperate and saw no other way to get by during the winter … Some people don't think that people like me have any right to say no. Regardless of the circumstances. It sucks. It's messy. But … that's just life, I guess. And I’m dealing with it."

"How?"

"I don't know." Klaus shrugged and for the first time in what felt like decades, his brother allowed the mask to slip at least a bit. It wasn't much, just a teeny tiny inkling of what was really happening behind those gorgeous green eyes as he lowered his gaze on their clasped hands and slumped his shoulders. 

"Drugs, I suppose. In the past. It was … easier with the drugs. Sometimes I didn't even know the day. My life was just a haze, you know? No day, no night. No pain, no nightmares, no ghosts, no meaning in anything, no rules, no commitments. In a way, it was beautiful. When I started taking drugs … I never felt so alive, you know?" 

Their eyes met for barely a second before Klaus looked away again and Diego almost wished that he wouldn't try averting his gaze. They had always been close, sure, and he had always been privy to some secrets his brother had from the rest of the family but only now Diego started to fully grasp that even he didn't know everything, that even he had only rarely glimpsed behind the mask and only ever at times when Klaus would allow him to.

"Growing up, I always felt like I didn't belong, like I wasn't part of the world of the living, like I had no right to be there. And then I took my first E and everything started to make sense. I finally felt something. Sure, I puked my guts out later but I went back for it again and again because that rush and the colors and the feelings were better than this cold dark numbness that I had to experience my whole entire life."

He got up from his chair just to sit down next to Klaus on the bed and pull him tightly against his chest. "You still feel like this?" He asked close to Klaus’ ear although he was already dreading the answer. Deep down, he knew that, no matter how tightly he would hold Klaus sometimes, he wouldn't be able to hold the shattered pieces that were his brother together. He could try, though. 

"I don't know."

※※※※※※※

This night, he held his brother in his arms as they slept, even though Diego wasn't able to find rest at all. Klaus had fallen asleep the moment his head had hit the pillow even before Diego had joined him on the bed. Maybe them sharing a bed like this really was a bit weird and maybe it was no surprise that he continued to have weird dreams about his brother all things considered. Maybe it didn't have to mean anything. It were just their current circumstances. It was but a fluke and it would be over as soon as they would go their separate ways again.

As soon as they would no longer spend every minute together anymore things would cool down and he would no longer dream of his own brother giving him head. Hopefully. Maybe it was not the best time to think about shit like this, not when he had that same brother sleeping peacefully in his arms after going through hell today. 

The truth was, however, he didn't want this to be over. He didn't want them to go their separate ways again. 

With a sigh, Diego wrapped himself tighter around Klaus as he pulled him with his back against his chest. Right now none of these things mattered to him - not even how Klaus would react to Diego cuddling him like this. He was just thankful that his brother was still in one piece and wanted to make sure it would stay this way throughout the rest of the night. Finding him in the showers today, beaten and bruised and unconscious had been a shock to Diego - more than he was willing to admit. 

Okay, maybe this whole thing was a little unhealthy. It was getting ridiculous! Carefully, he extracted himself from Klaus one limp after the other. He managed to get out of bed without waking up his brother and ignored his crutches to slowly hobble towards his kitchenette. He grabbed a few spare coins from where he kept them in an old mug on the countertop before making his way to the stairs and then up and out of the boiler room. He needed to put some distance between them even if he just hobbled to the vending machine down the hallway. Eudora was right, he was allowing Klaus to take over his life again. He was getting too far into it again. 

Arriving at the vending machine, he already felt a little better. Maybe this was a bad sign. He already felt guilty just thinking this shit. It wasn't like he wanted to be away from his brother, after all. No, the problem was that it was the exact fucking opposite. He was starting to cling. He was starting to overstep boundaries. This situation was not healthy and Klaus needed his support now, needed him to be his big brother who would help him - not just some other creep like all the others. He inserted the coins into the vending machine and got himself a protein bar. Well, at least it was healthy, right? Usually, he only used this machine when he was strapped for cash and absolutely desperate.

"DIEGO!" 

The scream put his teeth on edge. It was ear-piercingly loud and panicked and before Diego knew what he was doing he was already hobbling back as quickly as he could manage.

"Diego!" Klaus yelled again, his voice now beyond distressed. "Diego!" 

As he reached the open door to the boiler room he heard the sobs that accompanied Klaus’ yelling. The yelling stopped, however, the second Diego arrived back at the room. Still, he hurried down the stairs and nearly tripped over his own feet to reach his brother who was now sitting on their bed, his face tear-streaked and flushed, his eyes wild and full of terror. 

"Klaus!" He finally shot back bridging the distance and all but falling onto his bed again even before the boiler room door could fall shut. "What's wrong? What happened?" Klaus’ breathing was ragged and going way too fast and so, as Diego placed a hand on his brother’s chest, was his heartbeat. His heart was racing as if he had been running for his life.

Suddenly, however, Klaus seemed embarrassed now that Diego was back with him. He still took a hold of Diego’s hand on his chest, though. "Nightmare." He then whispered in defeat. "Nightmare and then I woke up and you weren't there and those fucking ghosts- Sorry … Sorry, Dee … Sorry … I’m behaving like a fucking child right here." 

"No, hey …  _ No _ . It's okay." He smiled and brushed Klaus’ sweaty curls out of his face. "Don't be sorry, it's okay. You’ve been through a lot today." Why the fuck did he leave Klaus’ side in the first place? He should have just stayed by his side! "You are cold." He then muttered because Klaus’ skin was actually freezing. There were probably more ghosts around than usually and Diego did his best not to think about it too much as he crawled back into bed and pulled Klaus tightly into his side so that he could rest his injured leg more comfortably. 

Klaus immediately melted into the embrace before Diego had even the chance to pull their blankets around them. When he managed, however, Klaus gave a content little sigh. "Sorry, that I’m always such a mess."

"You are not." Diego replied quietly and rubbed comforting circles into Klaus’ back. "Everything is just fine, brother." He seemed to calm down the longer they just laid like this and it reminded Diego of all the times Klaus came running into his room at night only to snuggle up to him like this. "It's just like old times, isn’t it?"

"Yeah…" Klaus hummed quietly and lazily put his arm around Diego. "Only that we are no children anymore."

"What does it matter?" Diego huffed. "We could be eighty and I wouldn't care." 

"I will remind you of that." At least he could laugh again. It was only a small chuckle, barely audible but it was a start. "Why was Patch here?" 

The question took him a little by surprise but at least it was dark enough that Klaus wouldn't see his startled face. He should have probably expected something like this from Klaus. Klaus had always had a certain talent for asking uncomfortable questions that Diego felt no desire to answer. "She just wanted to check on me." He shrugged. "That's what friends do."

"She had her hair down."

"So?"

"So, she clearly wanted to test the waters."

"What waters?"

"The waters of your romance."

"There is no romance."

"Not if you don't change your attitude." Klaus huffed. "Patch only has her hair down when she feels flirty."

"And how would you know that?"

"I know." Klaus shrugged. "I am well versed in the art of seduction and charming the socks off of unsuspecting others. She clearly still has feelings for you. Why else would she drop by to bring you coffee out of the blue?"

"Because she was worried?" He offered even though they both knew that this wasn’t true and just a sorry attempt of acting as if he wouldn't know exactly why she had come. Klaus was right. He knew, deep down, that he was right but he refused to acknowledge it. He couldn't deal with thoughts like these. Not right now. "Because I got injured and she wanted to check on me? We are friends."

"No, you are not, Baby." Klaus sighed. "Maybe before but not after she dumped your ass."

"And how would you know? You weren't even there."

"Yeah but … I know you, Dee. Better than anyone else, I guess. Perhaps better than she does certainly. You don't need to tell me about your messy break up with her. I can tell either way." Klaus gave him a gentle nudge. "Same as you can tell when something's up with me."

"I’m not so sure about that." He sighed. "I didn't know how bad things have gotten for you."

"Because you cut me out and you were right to do so. I’m poison, Dee. I would have destroyed everything."

"I still wished that I would have been there for you." 

"You were." Klaus murmured. "So many times and I didn't appreciate you enough."

"I feel like you try to charm  _ me  _ now."

"No … don't need to. Already have you in the bag anyway." He huffed. "Tell me about this rivalry you have going on with Rickie. Is he your new Luther?"

"He wished." Diego laughed quietly. "I don't know, Bro. We were friends at first but then he lost a few times against me in the ring and since then he’s a bit salty. So, he tries to get on my nerves, tries to be better, does nothing else but train and build more muscles so he can beat me at least once. It's annoying."

"Ah, I see." Klaus hummed and snuggled closer. He could imagine vividly the toothy grin his brother had on his face right now. "He is not your new Luther. He is your very own Diego." 

"Hey!"

"I’m just saying!" Klaus laughed again as he pinched him. "He’s nice, though."

"To you," Diego smirked. "Because he wants to get in your pants. To everyone else, he’s an asshole. Nearly everyone here at the gym has beef with him, you know? He’s unpleasant and I … listen, Klaus, I’m not telling you what to do. You are old enough to make your own decisions. I just want you to be careful. Rickie might look nice now because he tries to get on your good side but he’s not a good guy." 

He was almost certain that Klaus would get pissy and defend a man he barely knew but Klaus surprised him again as he snuggled up closer to him and gave a small sigh. "Okay." He muttered. "He’s not my type anyway."

※※※※※※※

Not once in his whole life, had someone brought him flowers. This was just a fact. Sure, he was a guy and dating other guys for the most part but still … as he was presented with a bouquet of white roses all of a sudden, the thought hit him that not a single guy he had dated had ever made an effort to put a smile on his face. He had never expected it either. It seemed normal when a girl was dating a guy that there would be flowers and chocolates and all kinds of other things involved to woo her. 

He had seen it when Allison first started getting presents from admirers delivered to the house. Yet, though he had been a bit jealous, he had never dared to think that some guy out there would deem him worthy of presents like this. The level of courtship he was accustomed to consisted of easy smiles and loads of drugs and alcohol. Most guys had just bought him a few drinks and then took him to bed and that was all he had been worth in their eyes. So, he had started to believe it. He still believed it now as he saw himself confronted with this huge bouquet right in his face and Rickie’s hopeful little smile. 

"Good Morning, Gorgeous." For the first time in his life, Klaus Hargreeves was a bit speechless. "How are you today? Better? I’m sorry that I couldn't accompany you to the hospital and stuff but I thought Diego would bite my head off if I tried anything or come back here later."

"Are these … for me?" Klaus gently tugged at the paper around the bouquet and for a moment Rickie seemed a little confused, then surprised over the question before something gentle replaced the surprised look in his eyes. 

"Of course, they are." He replied with a smile.  _ Of course _ , he said.  _ Of course _ . As if it was normal. As if Klaus wasn't a gutter whore. As if Klaus wasn't a complete waste of space. As if Klaus wasn’t the disappointment of the family. As if Klaus had not thrown his life out the window at age thirteen when he started taking hard drugs. He felt something tug on his insides, almost violently and didn't know what to make of it. His chest hurt just looking at the flowers. Maybe he was allergic. 

"Hey… Hey … is everything okay? If you don't like them, I can just- Fuck, I am such an idiot! Are you allergic? Klaus?"

He was a complete mess. He knew that he was a mess. He didn't need Rickie's crestfallen look to know that or for Diego to walk over to them on his crutches in alarm. Diego barely left him out of his sight since yesterday. He had taken to shuffling around the gym on crutches just to make sure no one would try something funny with Klaus again. 

"No … No, I like them." He finally got out as he took the bouquet and smelled the roses. "I like them … thank you … It's just … No one has ever brought me flowers or something…"

"No, I can't believe that." Rickie smiled and leaned in closer over the counter that was separating them. "I bet you had thousands of suitors before - all begging for your attention." 

"Are you?" Klaus tried to put on his usual jovial smile, shoving his mask back into place. This was flirting. He could do that. He knew how. It was familiar territory - getting presented with a bouquet of roses was not. "Begging for my attention I mean?"

"Perhaps." Rickie snickered in return. "But that's not important right now. How are you feeling today? Did you get some rest last night?" Again he was surprised. He just couldn't fathom how anyone could be interested in him in this way. He was not used to guys asking about his well-being. Most guys didn't care. He had fucked guys who had seen that he was injured or sick and they hadn't cared at all. 

He remembered how Grant had beaten him up once in front of another guy and how that guy then put a loving hand on his shoulder, cleaned up the blood from his face, asked him if he was alright and then fucked him with not a care in the world for his injuries. He remembered, a long time ago, coming home all bloody and beaten, sneaking back into the academy and how none of his siblings had batted an eyelid about it. No that wasn't fair. Diego had cared, right? Diego had always cared. Because Diego had always been the one to put the pieces back together. 

"Yeah" He cleared his throat. "I did. It's … I’m okay. I’ve had worse." 

At this Rickie reached out to him and although he would have flinched away usually, he didn't now as the other man put a comforting hand on Klaus’ left hand. "I wished I would have noticed sooner what was going on. Fuck … When I saw what he was about to do, I just snapped." Only now Klaus realized that his knuckles were bandaged. "I’ve never thought Bill would do something like this. Geez. I’m so sorry, Klaus. I thought he was a friend, you know? Had I known what he would be doing to you…"

"It's not your fault." Klaus shrugged. "It was just a matter of time anyway … I’m used to shit like this. Of course, people would find out about my past and use it against me."

"You should not be used to it, though." Rickie sighed. "And people should not overstep those boundaries just because of your past. It doesn't matter what you did to survive out there. You are here now, part of this family. Most everyone who comes here to train has a dark past or things they want to forget, shit they have done. We all came here to get better and get our life back together. I mean, see Sandra over there?" He pointed over his left shoulder to one of the women who were here regularly. She was currently taking a break from her exercise and was chatting with another girl. "She used to be a drug dealer and got out of prison three years ago. She came here because the court ordered her to get her anger issues under control. She’s clean since then and never did anything illegal again. All thanks to Al and the people here."

"I still have to thank you for helping me yesterday." He knew what most guys would want as a thanks but once again Rickie surprised him.

"If you want to thank me, you allow me to invite you for dinner at Adolfo’s on Friday after my fight." 

"Okay." Klaus finally agreed with a small smile. "I do you one better and actually cheer for you during your fight, okay?"

"Diego won’t like that." Rickie laughed.

"Yeah, well … it's not his fight, right? I can cheer for you if I want." 

"And what's when I fight him again?"

"Well, sorry, Dude, but then I’m cheering for my brother. I am contractually obligated to be his cheerleader."

"I can live with that." Rickie laughed. "Okay, it's a date then."

**-End of Chapter 7-**


	8. Chapter 8

_ The pain was not the worst. It was bad and it was awful, yes, but it was not the worst. The worst in the way Grant treated him were the quieter moments. It was when they would lie in bed together after sex, when Grant would pull Klaus into his side and allow his head to rest on Grant’s broad chest, listening to the heartbeat of his tormentor and wishing it to just stop. He envisioned himself reaching into his chest with a ghostly hand and closing his fist around Grant’s black heart. Ben was dead and yet someone like Grant was still alive. _

_ Ben, good, pure, nice, kind Ben was dead and Grant was alive. Grant was alive and Klaus was lying on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, feeling the rising and falling of his chest. Ben was dead, sitting in the corner with a grief-stricken face and Grant was alive and oblivious to the young man sitting in the corner. _

_ "I’m sorry" Grant muttered into the darkness of his bedroom. It wasn’t  _ their  _ bedroom and it wasn’t  _ their  _ bed. It was  _ Grant’s  _ house,  _ Grant’s  _ bedroom,  _ Grant’s  _ bed. Klaus had no home of his own, no bed of his own - nothing that belonged to him except for the clothes that he had worn when he first met this man. And he too was Grant’s possession now. "I’m sorry that I hurt you." He continued.  _

_ Klaus could feel ants crawling underneath his skin. He was tired and cold and he craved a hit of something - anything to take the edge off as his skin stretched painfully over the new injuries Grant had inflicted upon him just tonight. _

_ "It's okay." He answered quietly. _

_ "You know how I get when you push me too far, right? You need to stop pushing me, Klaus. I don't like any of this either. You know that, right? You think I like seeing my boyfriend go off with other men?" _

_ "No." _

_ "No." Grant repeated. "No, I don't like it but … I’m not gonna lie, Klaus. You are expensive to keep around, right? I mean the drugs, the alcohol, the extra food." _

_ "It's the least I can do." _

_ "Yeah, it is."  _

_ As he glanced into the corner, Ben was gone. Ben rarely showed up these days. He was fed up with seeing him so low. He couldn't blame him. Everything was a mess. His whole life was a dumpster fire. Without Ben watching over him, he felt like a lifeline had been severed. He was drifting in the dark ocean in the night and no one was there to save him. No one was there to extend a hand to him and pull him out of the water. He could feel the rough skin of the sharks circling beneath him brush against his naked legs and he knew that they would strike eventually. It was just a matter of time until they would devour him. There was no escape. He was alone in the darkness, alone in an endless ocean. _

As he opened his eyes, shaken from his nightmare, his head was resting on the broad chest of a man and for a split second, he was convinced that he had never escaped that bedroom or that house or that man. The arm around his back pulled him in tighter and he could feel his heart stop as he lingered and listened to the beating heart of the man beneath him. He could reach in with a ghostly hand, close his fist around his heart and squeeze until it would stop beating. Ben was dead and Grant was still alive.

"Nightmare?" A gruff voice whispered into the darkness. It was warm inside the room and the body of the man beside him too was warm. "You are talking in your sleep, Bro."

It wasn’t Grant’s voice. It was Diego’s voice. Diego who always seemed to be there to throw a lifeline towards him when he was drifting in the ocean. Diego who pulled him close and kept him safe and helped him. No matter how much he had fucked up in the past or hurt his brother, here he was, allowing him to rest on his chest and listen to the comforting beating of his heart. Diego was alive. He was alive and warm and kind and he kept him safe like he always had, like he always would.

"Yeah…" He muttered quietly into the darkness and snuggled closer, knowing that his brother wouldn't push him away.

"I’m here," Diego replied. "I’m here." 

※※※※※※※

Diego surprised him the next day as he invited Klaus for a shopping trip to the thrift store down the street. Diego was not usually one to go shopping - especially not with his little brother. He would patch up his old clothes until they would fall from his body and even then he would still try saving them.

"You need new clothes." Diego had told him before they headed off during their lunch break. That was pretty much all the explanation that Klaus had gotten from his brother. "You can't always wear mine." 

Well, he had a point, Klaus would agree with him there. He still felt a little weak and exhausted after the events of the past few days. His injuries barely had any time to heal so far but Al was very lenient with the two Hargreeves’ boys as he allowed Klaus longer breaks and barked at him to sit down every time he would see Klaus running around the gym to take care of something. One might even go as far as to say that Al had developed a certain fondness for Klaus after the incident. He had certainly become a bit more friendly and kind towards the other Hargreeves’ boy at the very least, even kept an eye out for him at all times. 

"You know that I don't have any money for new clothes, yes?" Klaus muttered as they reached the shop. His injuries weren’t his only problem at the moment, even though he liked to act as carefree around his brother as possible. It was hard to really be carefree, though, when you are surrounded by ghosts at all times. He was clean for a little over two weeks now and the fuckers rarely left him alone. They were screaming in his ears, trying to get his attention. Even Benny was sometimes screaming to get his attention - he didn't mean it like the other ghosts, though, so it was easy to forgive Ben when he did. The ghosts didn't help his already hurting head though. 

He couldn't remember ever being sober for such a long time since his first drag of weed at age twelve. It was exhausting and hard and he didn't think that he would be able to go for much longer now. He had to, though. He had to. If he didn't want to lose Diego forever, he had to do this. Another chance he wouldn't get and rightfully so. 

"Don't worry about that." Diego smiled and held the door for him despite  _ him  _ being the one walking on crutches. "I’ve got money."

He wanted to ask how he had money to buy Klaus’ new clothes when they both knew how little money Diego had anyway and now as he needed to feed two people, money should be running short already. He was not stupid, after all. He knew that Diego didn't magically get more money, right? He didn't want to ask, though. Not when his brother looked so content and happy to be able to buy him something new to wear. Diego’s biggest weakness, apart from Klaus himself, had always been his very fragile ego and Klaus didn't want to hurt it. He knew that he, out of all the people in the world, had been granted the power to tear into his brother more viciously than anyone else could ever hope to do.

So, instead of asking, he just smiled at his brother and walked into the thrift shop. At least the clothes were cheap in here. He knew that Diego usually repaired his stuff and Klaus too was someone who would repair what little clothes he did have but since leaving Grant he barely had anything left besides his leather pants and a thin crop top. 

"You need a sweatshirt, bro. Don't even look at those flimsy shirts over there." Diego chuckled as he noticed where Klaus’ gaze slipped. At least they had a similar fashion sense in the way that they both preferred blacks and greys. 

"But look how nice they look!" Klaus huffed as he held an especially flimsy top up to show Diego. In the corner, Ben scoffed at his two brothers, unannounced to Diego, of course. Sometimes, he wished he could tell Diego about Ben’s presence but every time he toyed with the idea, he was reminded of how his siblings usually treated him whenever he had said anything concerning the ghosts. Diego might be different than his other siblings but Ben was a sore topic and he just didn't want a strain on their newly reformed relationship. 

"Since I am paying, you will get something warm to wear." Diego grinned, holding the money thing over his head like a sword of Damocles. Meanie. He gave a sigh and rolled his eyes dramatically as he hung the shirt back and strolled over to the sweatshirts. 

"Fiiiiiine" He huffed. 

Being here with Diego just felt like a nice change of pace even despite the wailing ghost in the changing room as Klaus later tried on a few items of clothing to show to Diego. The owner of the shop had just watched the two brothers absentmindedly but with a little smile playing on her face ever since they had entered her shop and listened to their banter whenever Diego had thrown another piece of clothing at him. 

"Diego is really going out of his way here, huh?" Ben muttered as they were back in the changing room. Of course, Ben wouldn't allow him this bit of privacy. 

"What do you mean?" He replied as quietly as possible so that Diego wouldn't think that Klaus was talking to him. "He took me to get new clothes. I think he feels guilty and wants to make up for it."

Ben raised his brows at him in silent judgment. "Are you blind?"

"What?"

"The cuddling, the constant worrying, the taking care of you, the shopping trip…"

"Benny I need you to use your words."

"He’s in love with you - again!" 

"Death wasn't good to you, Ben. You lost your remaining brain cells."

"Apparently, death gave me the opportunity to see much more than you." Ben sighed.

"Everything okay in there?" Diego called out to him and Klaus quickly hurried to open up the curtain again to show his current outfit to his brother. It was a simple loose-fitting dark grey long-sleeved t-shirt accompanying his beloved black leather pants and yet Diego smiled at him as he took him in as if he would be wearing Prada. "Look at that." He huffed. "Welcome back, Klaus. Wait, I found something for you to try on."

He exchanged a small glance with Ben as Diego turned to grab something and as Ben just rolled his eyes, Diego presented a coat made out of all kinds of different colored leather patches with fur trim and collar. He held it out for Klaus and Klaus slipped into it right away.

"It suits you." Diego grinned. "You like it?"

"Yeah, I do." It was warm and weird and he adored it. 

"Okay, I’m buying it then."

"No … Dee … That's too much, too expensive."

"You need a warm coat," Diego argued back. "And you need accessories. Seeing you without necklaces and bracelets is odd." 

He could only watch how his brother walked off to the accessories section of the shop and once again exchanged a look with Ben. Ben grinned and Klaus wanted nothing more than to wipe that grin off of his brother’s smug face. No matter what Ben wanted to claim, Klaus knew that it wasn’t the truth, that Ben was just seeing things, saying things to pull his leg. He watched Diego rummaging through the long necklaces on display and followed him slowly. Just as he reached him, his brother turned around and put a necklace around his throat in pulling it over his head. It was the planchette of a Ouija board that someone made into a necklace.

"Perfect." Diego chuckled. He caught a glimpse of himself in the large mirror across the room and, yes, Diego was right, he truly looked more like himself than he had in months again. A small smile crossed his face at this realization and he allowed his fingers to brush over the fur of the coat. It felt nice, it felt like it was meant for him.

"Is this really okay?" Klaus then turned back to his brother, but Diego just rolled his eyes and gave him a small punch against his bicep before he already headed towards the cash register. Ten minutes later, they were back out in the street with Klaus’ new outfit still attached to his body and Diego’s old sweatshirt from before in a plastic bag.

"Thank you, Dee … really."

"Don't mention it, Brother." Diego huffed. "I can’t be seen with someone looking like a hobo, right?" They shared a rare smile as they walked further down the street. It wasn't that they usually wouldn't smile at each other. It was just that they usually smiled because they shared a joke or a mischievous grin. This smile felt different. He could tell that Diego was a bit flustered and he could tell that Diego was happy because he had managed to make  _ Klaus  _ a little happier. 

Maybe … Maybe Ben was not  _ that  _ stupid.

"Hey care for a few donuts?" Diego then grinned and pointed down the street. Griddy’s wasn’t far from the thrift shop and they had still a bit of time left until they needed to be back at the gym. 

"You had me at donuts, Sunshine." 

A few minutes later they were sitting in a booth at Griddy’s with donuts on the table between them. The sun was shining through the window and brushed warmly over Klaus’ face. His knees were touching those of his brother opposite of him as they were both taller than the average and both had long legs. 

"This is nice," Diego muttered after a while as he was biting into his last donut. It was rare to see Diego eating something this unhealthy but Klaus chalked it up to him being a bad influence on his brother. 

"Yeah."

"So … Rickie, huh?" Diego then huffed. "He seems quite infatuated … I mean, white roses?"

"Yeah … seems like it. He asked me to be his cheerleader during his fight on Friday and if I would go have dinner afterward."

"Oh" Did he imagine it or was Diego sounding a little disheartened? "And what did you say?"

"I said yes." He shrugged. "I mean, it's just dinner, right? I mean, I don't want to start anything with him … I don't want to start anything with anyone right now but … maybe he stops asking me out when I agree to a date this once, right? The guy doesn't even really know how much of a trainwreck my life really is, after all."

"Maybe you’re right."

"Mhm … so … Patch comes by more often lately, huh?" Was this a blush creeping up on Diego’s cheeks?

"Yeah, apparently so." He huffed. "She said she wants to come to my next fight too." 

"Well, well, well, would you look at that … Maybe she wants to get back together?"

"No … No, I don't think so … I mean … right? You think she wants to start dating again?" He sounded so hopeful that it made Klaus’ chest feel tight all of a sudden. It shouldn't feel this way. He should be happy for his brother if it was true and he would get back together with Patch. It was obvious that he still liked her, after all. 

"Why not?" Klaus smirked even though he didn't really feel like smiling. "You are handsome and have a good heart, right? She would be stupid if she wouldn't want to get back together. I mean, you could have anyone you wanted. She would be lucky to get you." 

"You think so?"

"Of course." Klaus huffed. "And I must know, right?" 

"Well, your track record with guys isn't the best…"

"No, and that's why I am now able to see who’s a good guy and who isn't. I have learned my lessons."

"So Rickie is a good guy then?"

"I think he might be." 

※※※※※※※

Klaus had only rarely seen a boxing match. He had snuck in three years ago when he had heard that Diego was having a fight. That was before he had known about Diego’s new path in life. He remembered hiding in the crowd before realizing that Diego would never be able to pick him out of the crowd anyway. It didn't feel much different now, only that he was at the side of the ring and that it wasn’t Diego fighting but a guy who wanted to date him. Diego was hovering at his side, clearly not too happy with the situation. 

He wondered if Diego would like it more if Klaus would be cheering for  _ him _ . 

Just by sitting at the side of the ring watching the fight between Rickie and another dude from a different gym, Klaus realized how little he knew about the sport his brother was so passionate about. He had never cared to know. He wasn't a fan of violence and fighting but he had to admit … it was thrilling to see. It would be more thrilling to see Diego beat up someone though. 

"He’s doing great, isn’t he?" Klaus turned to look at his brother and Diego actually gave him a nod and a tight smile.

"Yeah, he is." He acknowledged. "I hate to admit it but he got better those past few months since our last fight."

"Still no match for you, huh?" Klaus laughed and gently nudged his side. He tried to ignore the young man standing beside Diego who had his head caved-in. The ghost was staring at the ring, still wearing his boxing gloves and shorts, looking like he came freshly out of a fight - and had lost. He had seen him a few times already here inside the gym but the ghost had never tried to get his attention. He just hovered around as if he was watching someone and didn't even care for Klaus and his stupid powers. 

"Of course, not." Diego grinned and put an arm around Klaus’ waist. In the ring, Rickie delivered a right hook to the other fighter’s head that send him spiraling down to the ground. The crowd cheered but Klaus felt a twist in his stomach. He didn't like it. "Everything alright, Bro?"

"Yeah, just … I think I need a bit of fresh air … feeling a little nauseous." 

"Let's get out then." 

"No … No, it's fine. Stay, I’m just quickly heading out. I’ll be right back."

"You sure?" 

"Yeah." For a moment, Klaus was certain that Diego would demand to come along because he feared that Klaus might be relapsing if he would go outside and Klaus would be lying if he said that he wouldn't have thought about it a lot these past weeks. He had not gone through the withdrawal and got clean magically, after all. 

It was not like he suddenly didn't have any cravings anymore. Of course, he was craving his pills and powders and needles and the rush that would come to him. Of course, he missed being blissfully, blissfully ignorant to the ghosts and the pain and the nightmares and the trauma and the darkness. He had a good thing going here with Diego at the gym and he knew that. He had a good thing going and didn't want to jeopardize it - yet, he knew that he would eventually fuck it up like he fucked everything up. Darkness clung to him and followed him around at all times, that was just a fact of his miserable little life and there was nothing he could do about it. 

Still, he wanted to be strong. He wanted to try this. And, if he could never go outside alone and trust himself not to give in to temptation than what good would this all be anyway? Part of getting clean was that he would manage on his own, right? Diego couldn't always be around him to hold his hand and make sure he would stay sober. And what kind of sobriety would this be anyway?

"Okay." Diego then said. He smiled reassuringly at him and that took Klaus by surprise more than he liked to admit. Was this a sign of trust? Was Diego trying to tell him that he trusted him to return to this place sober? He returned the smile though a bit more uncertain than Diego and slowly extracted himself from the spot on the bench.

Fighting his way through the crowd was harder than it should be. He felt dizzy and nauseous and like he was trying to claw his way out of hell. He could see the various ghosts that followed him since his early childhood hover around the edges of the gym. Finally, he reached the door and all but burst through it into the cold air of the night. He stumbled forward a few steps, trying to catch his breath at the sudden change and finally leaned forward onto his knees. His head was still spinning.

"Klaus?" If he wouldn't have been certain that he would pass out if he whirled his head around, he would have done it. "Hey, is everything alright?"

Eudora Patch had a very poor sense of timing as always. She’d always seem to show up at the wrong times. Or maybe she was sent by the cosmos to stop both Klaus and Diego from making stupid mistakes that would ruin their lives. To them, her timing seemed horrible but maybe the cosmos tried to send them a message through her. 

"Peachy." He huffed as he slowly straightened his back again and took another lung full of the cold air. "Yeah … yeah, I’m good…"

"You are a bad liar."

"I am offended. I have to inform you, that I am, in fact, a marvelous liar."

"Uhu." 

"What are you doing here? Looking for the D?"

She grimaced at his choice of phrasing and rolled her brown eyes. Her eyes were soft like Diego’s but when she would look at Klaus they usually weren’t. It seemed different tonight, though. "I heard there was a fight going tonight and wanted to watch."

"I didn't take you for a boxing fan."

"You don't know much about me then." Eudora smiled. "I’ve been a kickboxer since middle school, Honey."

"Oh," He exclaimed. "Would you look at that? How very sexist of me to assume you wouldn’t like bloodsport then. No wonder Diego and you fit so well, right? Finally, a woman who knows to kick his ass, huh?"

"How are you, Klaus?" He was a tad bit disappointed as she wouldn't indulge him in his teasing. "I mean, really. This guy roughed you up quite badly the other day." 

"Oh … right … you were there, huh?"

"I arrested him, yes." Eudora huffed. "Shit … I mean … Diego was hysterical when we found you. Never saw him like that. Then again, when it comes to you he always seems to lose his mind, right?"

"You say that as if it's a good thing."

"No, I’m not." She replied with another huff and puffed her chest out a little. "Quite the contrary. I would say that your presence in his life is damaging to him but I realized a long time ago that it's not on me to intervene. If he doesn't realize this himself then … It's like getting clean, I would assume. You first need to realize you have a problem to start working against your problem." 

"Are you trying to say that I am his drug?"

"I am saying that you guys seem to be in a very unhealthy codependent relationship that's borderline abusive to both of you and you guys don't even realize it. Diego would jump down a bridge if it meant saving you from yourself and you happily give him that opportunity, right? You feed off of each other. He has a savior complex and you like to deliver."

"Are you calling me a damsel in distress?"

"I am calling you a manipulator," Eudora replied maybe a little sharper than she meant to. "You know how to push his buttons. He thinks he can save you. Diego loves you so much he would go through fire for you and you know that and you know that he will never dump you."

"Well … I love him too, he’s my brother."

"We both know that I didn't mean it in that way."

"No, I don't know." Klaus shot back and this time he did so with much more venom and bite in his tone. "And I think you don't know this either. You just think that you do because it feeds your ego. But let me tell you one thing, Detective, you have no clue what you are talking about."

"You are cute when you think you can intimidate me." Eudora huffed and patted his shoulder. "But you will be his doom if you stick around any longer. We both know that you won’t stay clean, that you won’t stay out of trouble. Diego told me about your ex, Grant Wallace, who is now behind bars. How many more like him are out there, Klaus? How many disgruntled dealers or ex-boyfriends or even customers?"

"Fuck you."

"Listen, Klaus" She gave another sigh, deep and long-suffering before her eyes turned soft again. "I don't like you. We both know that and I don't see the benefit of beating about the bush. You don't like me and I don't like you. That’s okay. I don't have to like you to want you to be a better person and to find happiness. I don't want to find you in a situation like that again. I don't want to be called to a crime scene and find your body or find you as a victim of rape or battery or whatever else out there, okay? Diego loves you and losing you would kill him. That's reason enough for me to wish you better."

"Maybe you should write a motivational book. You are quite the life coach."

"Maybe you should check into a rehab facility."

"Been there, done that."

"I mean a good one. You should talk to your father, tell him that this time you are serious, go to the best he is willing to pay for, and work on your issues."

"What issues?"

"The trauma you’ve been through?" She dropped her shoulders with another sigh, all tension suddenly almost evaporating from her. "Listen … I spent a lot of time with Diego … Your father was an abusive monster, I get it. But he is obviously willing to help when he even allows Luther to give Diego money so that he could buy new clothes for  _ you  _ ."

"He did … what?"

"Didn't he tell you?" It was the first time during their conversation that something that Klaus had said seemed to honestly surprise her. "He went to the academy and asked for financial aid. He told your dad about the situation and how good you were doing and Reginald actually allowed Luther to help as it seems. Your father might be a monster for the shit he did to you as a child but I would assume that you met far worse people in the past few years."

She clapped his shoulder again before she moved to head inside. She turned around to him once more though. "Are you coming?"

"N-No…" He muttered as he still tried to make sense of what she had just told him. Diego hated the academy and their father almost as much as Klaus did and yet he went there to ask for help? He had swallowed his stupid pride and asked Luther and Dad to help him out? For him? "I … I have a hard time … I don't like boxing all that much."

She lingered for a moment longer and, as their eyes locked, he could see her entire face, her entire posture soften. She didn't say anything after that, just gave a little nod and walked into the gym.

**-End of Chapter 8-**


	9. Chapter 9

Rickie was still ecstatic as they left the restaurant. The whole time during dinner, he had talked about nothing but the fight and how it had been an easy win against the other guy. Of course, Klaus had not been there for the majority of the fight because, after he had left to get some fresh air, he had stayed outside. Only when he had heard the bell being chimed signalizing the end of the fight, he had slunk back into the gym to reunite with Diego and Eudora while Rickie had been ecstatic with his victory, despite the blood on his face. 

"So will you?" 

"Huh?" He had not even realized how much he had zoned out while Rickie had been talking. They were back outside of the restaurant. His stomach was heavy with good Italian food and he felt tired. The date with Rickie hadn't been too unpleasant for sure. Despite the rather one-sided conversation had Rickie proven to be a perfect gentleman towards Klaus. After his fight, he had changed into nicer clothes and even taken care of his hair before escorting Klaus away from the gym under Diego’s watchful gaze. Now, Klaus had his left-overs in a small aluminum swan and was determined to bring them back home to Diego. Home. Wasn’t it just weird that he called the boiler room his home by now? 

He was looking forward to going back there, certainly finding his brother still wide awake and waiting for him to return. He had told him that there would be a little party after the fight regardless of the outcome of it and even if he wouldn't be waiting for Klaus, he would probably still be busy cleaning. He felt guilty for leaving Diego with this task.

"I asked you if you would cheer for me next time I fight Diego." Rickie chuckled good-naturedly and brushed a gentle finger across Klaus’ left cheek. The smile that was playing on his face was almost tender as he looked at Klaus with warm eyes and deep understanding. 

In a way, Klaus knew that Rickie understood him much better than Diego ever could. Rickie knew how hard it was to run around craving a hit of something all the time. Hell, he would give anything for a drag of weed or at least a sip of vodka right now. Especially, since he knew that Eudora was probably still at the gym as well. Until right now, he had avoided thinking about her but something in that little gesture had made her pop back into his mind. Well, maybe Diego hadn't stayed up because of him after all. Maybe he wasn’t even thinking about him right now. He wondered if Eudora would be resting in their bed when he would return home.  _ Their  _ bed …  _ Diego’s  _ bed, of course. And, hell … his brother had any right to do stuff like this with her in his own bed, right? He could not lay claim on Diego or his home or his bed or his thoughts. He couldn't expect his brother to always think about him, always worry about him - not after the shit he had done to Diego in the past. In fact, he should be happy for Diego if Eudora would give him a second chance, even if that would mean that he and Diego were soon to part ways again. A life without Diego by his side … he couldn't imagine it even after that short a time living with him. 

"I already told you" Klaus replied with a smirk but tried to keep his voice as playful as possible. "I’m only gonna cheer for my brother."

"And what if I was your boyfriend?" Rickie teased.

"But you aren’t."

"Nope. But what if I were?"

"Rickie…" He sighed quietly and stopped as they reached Rickie’s truck in the back of the restaurant. For a Friday night, the restaurant they had chosen wasn’t all that packed. Then again, it was rather late already and most people probably already back home. Other than Rickie’s old red truck, there were only a handful of other cars around in the parking lot. "I’m not interested in a new relationship at the moment. My ex … He was an asshole, okay? He was … He didn't treat me good and I need time to find myself again. He took a lot away from me those past few months and I just don't think it's a good idea to start dating again for now."

Ben would be proud of him and how responsible he had handled this. He had told Rickie clearly and without much beating about the bush how he felt. He had handled the situation like a real adult, right? Despite the fact that he was turning Rickie down, he felt good about himself. This territory for him. He had never been in a situation like this where someone would take him out for a date and where he would then be able to say no regardless. It felt … nice. It felt like he had a choice.

"Oh."

"But, listen, you are a nice guy!" He smiled and brushed his free hand over Rickie’s biceps. "And I bet you can find someone who is much better for you than I could ever be." 

He was feeling antsy. Despite everything - the good food, the nice company, the feeling of liberation - it was not a good night for him. Even though his day had been pleasant so far, he was feeling antsy and couldn't shake off the underlying simmering anger that clung to his very bones. He needed something. Really anything would do! Or a distraction. He needed something to distract him or someone he could fight with.

Ever since talking to Eudora tonight he just was … pissed. He was pissed at Diego, pissed at Eudora, pissed at Rickie for not understanding him, pissed at the waiting staff at Adolfo’s, pissed at the other boxer who had lost against Rickie, pissed at Ben who had just fucked off into oblivion, pissed at himself for being so weak-minded. Eudora was at the gym and she would still be there when he would return. He would sleep on the couch and she would be there. She had successfully wormed her way back into Diego’s life and his bed and he … It hurt. Knowing that she was back and that Diego was probably happy to have her back, hurt. 

"Hey … I get it." Rickie smiled. Nothing seemed to be able to put a dent into that smile. Klaus kinda wished he wouldn't be this understanding. It made it harder to turn him down. "It’s the cravings talking." He wanted to yell at the other man that he didn't like him like that and that he had only agreed to this date as a thank you but Rickie surprised him as he suddenly pulled a little baggie of blue crystals out of his jacket. "Here … to take the edge off." 

His heart stopped in his chest for a moment before he managed to get his tongue back under his control. "I’m clean." He said even though he wanted to reach out and take all those sweet little crystals at once. Oh, it seemed a lifetime ago that there hadn't been an angry spirit yelling into his fucking ear! He wanted to go back to that rush in his veins, the powerful sensation of floating above it all. He wanted to go back to not caring about a thing. He could take those pills, go back to Rickie’s place with him, allow him to fuck his brains out and stop caring about everything else. He could stop caring about the fact that Eudora was back in Diego’s life or that she was probably already in Diego’s bed again. He could stop caring for the way his own heart was beating faster whenever Diego touched him or smiled at him like it used to be when they were stupid teenagers. He could go back to dull all these emotions again.

"But we both know you aren’t. You are never truly clean, right?" Rickie sighed and his voice remained calm and gentle, almost too sweet and soothing for a man wanting him to relapse. He was a devil. He was the pied-piper. He was the white rabbit and he wanted him to go back to Wonderland. "I mean, sure you go through detox, collect your chips, but the cravings are still there, the desire is still there. You are doing this for Diego, right? But let me tell you: Being clean for someone else is just an illusion, Klaus. It has to come from the inside or it won’t stick. I would know."

"You know shit about me."

"I know that you are probably fantasizing about sucking your own brother’s cock right now." Rickie hummed but his face remained perfectly innocent as he said these words. "And I know that your brother is fucking that lady’s brains out right now. So … why not give in to temptation? We both know what you really want, Klaus. I’ve seen it in your eyes. I know that look because I see it in the mirror every day. You don't want to be clean, you don't want to live in this fucking boiler room and clean the floors with your brother without ever getting paid to do so. You have been free before, why would you let your brother take that away from you?" 

He was right, in a way. He had been free before. He had been allowed to do  _ what  _ he wanted  _ when  _ he wanted and  _ with whom  _ he wanted. He had lived only for himself, wandering around the town, enjoying the freedom that came with not being tied down by anyone or anything, not having to go to work or pay bills. It had been wonderful! He thought about the raves and the nightclubs. He thought about the music and the dancing, the grinding of strangers against him, the feeling of being wanted and desired. He missed feeling wanted and desired in that way. He had turned the heads of men and women alike whenever he had set foot into a rave or a club, beautiful strangers had bought him drinks or offered him colorful pills and it had been wonderful. Every night he had entered his Wonderland and he had loved it. The sex, the freedom, the complete lack of rules and inhibitions! Wasn’t that what life was all about? Being free? 

He just needed to open his hand and accept those nice shiny crystals. He could already almost taste them on his tongue. 

"No." He muttered as he pushed Rickie’s hand away with more force than he needed to, effectively making him drop the drugs in the process. 

He remembered the countless times he had woken up somewhere with no recollection of how he had ended up there. He remembered the fear and panic when he had suddenly realized that he didn't know where he was or what had happened to him. He remembered the times when he had been too intoxicated or high to say no even though he wanted to. He remembered going down on his knees in an alley just to have enough money for his next hit or something to eat because the last time he ate had been weeks ago. He remembered freezing under a bridge during the winter, death looming right around the next corner every day of his life. Being in Wonderland was wonderful but waking up from it was a horror. And waking up was inevitable. "I don't want any, thanks. I would like to go home now, though."

"So that's your way of thanking me?" Rickie suddenly growled, the friendly demeanor finally cracking and crumbling. He was almost relieved. "For saving you from Bill?"

"Going out with you was thank you enough." He hissed and took a step back from the other man. He would walk then. Easy. He was a good walker. "Because I need to let you know that you are not my type at all." 

"No, I know. Diego is more your type, huh? Isn't that kinda sick?"

"Isn't it kinda sick that you bring drugs to a date with a former junkie?" He snarled and took another step back. "And now I am bidding you adieu, Richard, my dude. Never fucking talk to me again, yeah? Good."

He turned away from the man without any further hesitation but didn't quicken his step because he didn't want to look like he was running away from the other man. Rickie might be an asshole but surely he would not be dumb enough to attack him. 

※※※※※※※

He had told Klaus that he would clean up after the fight and the party tonight so that he could enjoy his date with Rickie but now that it actually came to it … He leaned heavily on his mop. It wasn't so much that he thought he would be unable to clean the floors. Sure, his knee was not yet healed but he could manage just fine as long as he put his weight on the other leg. It was … he didn't want to clean. He didn't want to tidy up the place. He didn't want to go back to the lonely boiler room, crawl into bed alone, and wait for Klaus to return -  _ if  _ he would return. 

"Hey" Eudora’s voice took him by surprise as she emerged from the hallway. He had forgotten that she was still here. She had gone to the lady’s room a few minutes ago and, in all honesty, he had assumed she would sneak out of the backdoor to avoid a possibly uncomfortable conversation with him. Instead, she smiled as she took him in and slowly approached. Earlier, when she came to the fight, he had noticed right away that she had put on makeup and the perfume he had always liked on her. "Remember when we used to sit on the roof of my apartment building drinking that really cheap boxed wine from the 7/11 down the road?"

"Sure." He huffed. Those were some of the best nights of his young life. Back then he had thought ‘That's it. That's what life is supposed to be like. That's what love is supposed to be like’. He had loved Eudora completely and she had loved him the same. That was all, no questions asked. It had been good as long as it lasted and then it had broken apart and now they were here. He could look at her and his stomach would remain calm. He could smell the perfume he had loved on her and his stomach would remain calm. There was no unsettled fluttering, no trembling nerves, no need to touch her or to pull her close, no desire to slither between her legs or to kiss her. However, when he would look at Klaus these days … Fuck. He was truly rotten, wasn’t he?

"Good times."

"Good times." He agreed with a low hum as he watched her coming closer. 

"Hey … Where’s Klaus at?" She then asked as she glanced around the empty gym, almost as if she would be expecting him to jump out from somewhere. "He wasn’t at the party either, huh? Isn't he supposed to do that?" She then pointed at the mop.

"I gave him the night off." Diego chuckled. "He’s on a date."

"Oh?" There was honest surprise written all over Eudora’s face. Diego knew what she thought about his brother and he could almost sense what she was thinking about the fact that Klaus was already stepping back into the game. She was wise enough not to say anything about that.

"Yeah … With Rickie."

"Tonight's winner?"

"He was the one who saved him from Bill." Diego shrugged as if he would need to explain away why his brother would go out on a date with a mediocrely handsome guy who was decently nice to Klaus. "Klaus agreed to go out with him as a thank you."

"And you believe it's just that?"

"Why would he lie to me?"

"Because he is Klaus." She sighed as she leaned against the bar only a few feet removed from Diego.

"Eudora…"

"No, I’m sorry, okay? But that's what he does. He lies. I guess he’s not coming home tonight then. Well, let's just hope he won’t relapse."

"He won’t." Diego groaned. "And don't talk about him like that. He’s a free man and he can do and sleep with whomever he wants, okay? If he decided to go home with Richard Harris tonight, it's his right. I mean … I am not telling you what you can and cannot do either, right?" 

"Wait, wait, wait! Go back?"

"What?"

"What's that guy’s name?"

"Richard Harris, why?"

"Why?" She drove a hand through her hair, her face pale all of a sudden. "Geez, Diego! That guy has a criminal record as long as my left fucking arm!"

"What?"

"Robbery, grand theft auto, assault and battery, rape, and all fucking kinds of drug charges! Last time Ramirez took him in, he had beaten up his girlfriend so badly that poor girl lost her left eye! The only reason why he is out again is that his dad is friends with the judges!" 

"You are kidding, right?"

"No!" She yelled and grabbed her jacket that was flung over the counter of the bar. "Fuck, I didn't recognize him at all! Where did they go?"

"Hey … No … Just because-"

"Yes, Diego!" She yelled. "You told me once that this guy hates your guts, right? Because of this stupid-ass rivalry you have going on! Now imagine what he could do to your  _ little brother  _ just to get back on you!" 

※※※※※※※

Thinking that Rickie wouldn't attack him had been naive of him, as it turned out. Rickie, as many other men Klaus had encountered during his life so far, didn't handle rejection well. The moment Klaus had decided to walk away from him, the boxer had tangled a hand in Klaus’ growing curls, twisted it, and yanked him back violently. It all happened so quickly that Klaus had no chance of actually defending himself as Rickie spun him around and send a right hook flying his way. 

He felt like his head was being ripped from his neck by the impact. He stumbled back, his ears were ringing and blood was spilling freely from his once again torn lips. He was in a world of pain and yet he was prepared as Rickie went in for another attack. This time, he managed to dodge, trusting his gut instincts as he did. There was no thought in his head as he dodged the punch Rickie threw at him. There was nothing, just silence - and a constant sharp ringing in his ears.

The only thing he knew deep inside his guts now was that another hit would probably knock him unconscious and who knew what would happen then. Rickie was enraged enough to beat him to death as it seemed now, so he dodged and tried to run again only for Rickie to grab a hold of his shirt and kick his knees away from underneath him. He hit the ground hard, hitting his chin on the asphalt of the parking lot and sending a sharp pain through his jaw as his teeth slammed together. 

"Rickie!" He yelled and spat out blood onto the concrete beneath him before the other man turned him around to face him and the night sky above him. "Stop it! Fuck! Stop this fucking shit!" 

"You are just as fucking arrogant as your brother!" Rickie hissed as he slammed his foot down on his stomach and then crouched down on his ribcage. "But don't worry, there will be nothing left of you when your fucking precious brother finds you, I’m taking care of that, you fucking worthless piece of shit whore!"

The moment Rickie slammed his fist down again, something remarkable happened as his attacker was thrown off of him violently as if he was jerked away by invisible ropes. Klaus watched with wide eyes how Rickie slammed against his own truck so hard it would knock anyone out. Rickie’s body hit the metal of the door on the driver’s side so hard that the window cracked and he left a huge dent in the door before slamming to the ground unconscious. And then not even a second later, that dead boxer appeared beside Rickie, flickering like a bad hologram from a bad sci-fi movie from the ’80s. He recognized the ghost of the young man right away. The left side of his head was caved in but as he looked at Klaus now out of his one eye, he smiled, and then he just disappeared into thin air. 

"What the hell?" The voice of a woman shrieked from somewhere behind Klaus, startling him even more than the ghost or the fact that, apparently, that ghost had saved his ass right now. 

"Klaus!" Diego.  _ His  _ Diego. He was here. Why, he didn't care. He was here, that was all that mattered right now. "Klaus! Are you okay?" He could hear his brother’s footsteps thundering on the asphalt as he rushed over to him while he still stared at Rickie in shock. A moment later, he felt his brother’s hands all over him before Diego dragged him into a tight, almost crushing hug.

※※※※※※※

The sun was already rising as they came back to the boiler room. He was beyond tired and exhausted as Diego guided him calmly and quietly to their bed in the corner. They had spent hours at the police station with Eudora and her partner Chuck. At least, Klaus thought as he sat down with a groan, Rickie hadn’t broken any bones.

"I can't believe that he would go as far as to pay Bill to go after you like this just so that he could play the hero," Diego muttered as he sat down next to him on the bed. "I always knew he was an asshole but this … No … this is just too far. I’m … I’m just so sorry…"

"It was not your fault." He whispered quietly and it seemed that he was repeating himself over and over again, lately. With a sigh, he leaned his head against his brother’s shoulder. This night … everything that had happened since he had left with Rickie last night … It was all too much to fully grasp. Eudora had arrested Rickie on the spot and called an ambulance only because police protocol would demand it from her before calling for backup. Soon after, at the police station, after Klaus had been done being photographed yet again, Eudora had told them what she had found out about the entire thing.

As it had turned out, Rickie had paid Bill to attack Klaus in the showers a week ago just so that he could swoop in and save the day so that he could get closer to Klaus and in turn, get back at Diego. He couldn't deny that his face was not the only thing that was bruised.

"Fuck" He whispered quietly into the privacy of the boiler room. Ben sat in the corner on the stairs, his expression was fond but worried. He had shown back up a little while after Eudora and Diego had found him in the parking lot, shaken with fear for him. "I feel fucking … stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"Just" He gave a groan and tried to focus on the feeling of how Diego put his arm around him and pulled him tighter into his side. Here he felt safe. Safe enough to even confess his most embarrassing feelings. "Just thinking that he really liked me, you know? I never … Nobody has ever taken me out on a date like this or gifted me roses or something. He was so … sweet and kind and I … I should’ve known better. I’m just not the type for romance, I guess. I’m not the type who would attract a nice guy."

Even though Rickie wasn’t his type and even though he didn't have any interest in actually dating the guy, knowing that Rickie had only wanted to go out with him to hurt Diego in any way, sucked. He didn't know if it had always been Rickie’s plan to attack him in any way but he knew that, had he given into temptation tonight and relapsed, that would’ve been enough to crush Diego. It hurt to know that he almost became a weapon against his brother. And it hurt to know that everything else had been a lie. He had allowed himself this little fantasy of actually being wanted by a guy like Rickie, a nice, handsome, kind dude, who didn't want to sell him for drugs or money, who wouldn't beat him and make him believe the worst about himself. It had felt nice. 

"Don't be stupid." Diego murmured into his hair. "Of course, you are. But Rickie … I should've known it! I mean, I know this fucking asshole, don't I? I know what he is like and I still allowed you to go out with him. I should have known that he would try something to get back at me. I was supposed to protect you. If I had lost you tonight, I… I…"

Without wasting a second thought, he leaned up and silenced Diego as he pressed his lips to those of the vigilante. His own heart stopped at the impulsive nature of his deed and couldn't quite explain away where it came from in the first place. Maybe it was his unconscious mind that liked to torture him, that wanted to be punished and reminded what scum he truly was in making Diego feel disgusted with him and push him away. Maybe it was a different part of his brain that just wanted to feel wanted again. And maybe a part of him just wanted to test out Ben’s theory. If Diego didn't feel the same way as he did then he would know at least and he would be able to act as if this had been all just a jest to rile him up a little and get him to stop talking. If Diego would push him off in disgust, he could play it cool or maybe even explain it away with the rollercoaster of emotions he was going through right now.

It didn't take long, though, until he felt Diego’s fingers in his curls, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. Before he knew it, he was sitting in his lap and locked his own fingers in Diego’s neck. He had always expected Diego’s kisses to be bruising, his grip to be harsh and demanding. The reality was, however, that he was almost tender as he held him close to his body now. Maybe the cause of this was just his injuries but right now it just didn't matter much to Klaus.

For a moment, he only felt how his brother gingerly dragged his fingertips over his scalp. They broke away only to catch their breath and Klaus huffed out a little chuckle. "It was about time." He whispered against Diego’s mouth only for Diego to echo his chuckle. 

"Yeah…" He huffed before he once again caught Klaus’ lips in another kiss. As Diego slumped back on the bed, he pulled Klaus with him and startled a little yelp and then another laugh out of him. His own hands left Diego’s neck to roam down his sides and shove his shirt up slowly. Just feeling Diego’s hot skin underneath the tips of his fingers was almost enough to send his head spiraling out of control. 

"Wait" Diego breathed between kisses. "Wait … Klaus…"

He pulled his fingers back as if burned, a heavy feeling suddenly settling in his stomach and cold fingers running down his spine. The fear of rejection was an old friend to him but right now it was unbearable. He didn't know how he would survive being rejected by Diego and yet, how could he even hope for someone like Diego to like him in such a way?

"Sorry…" He muttered as he slowly rolled off of the other man to slump down on the mattress. Diego, however, immediately extended a hand to him to pull him closer. 

"No, it's … everything is fine." Diego murmured quietly and leaned over him, not a second later to brush his lips softly over his. "I just think … we should go about this slower, okay?"

"Why?"  _ Because he wants an out,  _ a helpful little voice in the back of his mind supplied.  _ Because he already regrets it _ .

"Because a lot of shit happened recently and I … We have time, Klaus." He whispered close to his lips. "All the time in the world. And we are both tired." 

"You are the worst." He whined and chased after Diego’s lips as the other man removed himself from him again with a chuckle.

"Yes, I am. And I am bone tired, Darling." He was so tired, apparently, that he just slipped out of his boots before helping Klaus out of his own before crawling further onto the bed and falling against his pillows. 

He knew that there was no way to convince Diego of anything else, no matter how much they both wanted it. And, in a way, he was almost a little glad. It was like Diego said, they were both tired and Klaus … he had gone through hell these past few hours. His mind was playing tricks on him, his unconsciousness pushed daggers into his confidence with glee. Instead of arguing, he crawled up to Diego and rested his head on his chest. 

"I thought you and Patch…" He muttered against Diego’s chest as he put an arm around Diego and snuggled closer. 

"I love you, Dingus," Diego replied with a huff as if it was the most normal thing to say, as if it wouldn't be some monumental thing he was now admitting to Klaus so casually while it turned his whole world upside down. "I mean … I’m not gonna say that I wasn’t tempted to go back to what I already knew and thought was safe but … when I look at her, there is just no spark left."

"And with me, there is a spark?"

"No," Diego muttered. "It's more like a bushfire." 

**-End of Chapter 9-**


	10. Epilog

He woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the dimly lit boiler room his brother Diego called unabashedly his home. Music was softly coming from Diego’s small transistor radio that his brother had hung from a nail in the wooden beam that he also kept his mirror on. It was comfortably warm and quiet, apart from the music and the soft sizzling of the bacon in the pan. For the first time in a long while - perhaps ever - Klaus felt rested as he opened his eyes slowly. 

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!" Diego’s voice chimed up from the kitchenette. "Ready to join the world of the living again?"

"It's too early…"

"It's almost noon, Baby." Before he knew it, Diego had bridged the distance between them with a plate of delicious-looking food on it. Huh. Apparently, Diego could now teleport as well since he was no longer reliant on his crutches. Eating in bed was usually a big no-no in Diego’s household and punishable by death but today seemed, for some reason, to be the exception. Slowly he sat up in the bed and leaned heavily against the wall in his back. 

"Breakfast in bed?" He mumbled quietly as he found his voice still rough from sleep. "To what do I owe this?"

"Happy one month sober." Diego grinned and sat down at the edge of the bed. 

"Has it been so long already?" Klaus muttered as he quickly started devouring his breakfast after taking the plate from the owner of the boiler room apartment who looked way too smug so early in the day. "It doesn't feel like this with all the shit’s going on. Well, fingers crossed it will stick this time, I guess."

"It was a lot, wasn't it?" Diego hummed as he pulled Klaus’ slender feet into his lap. This thing between them was still fresh and new and yet, it seemed to come naturally to them. The jump from brothers - adopted or not - or even friends to lovers should have been much more jarring, much bigger, much more awkward. It wasn’t, though. It seemed like, one night they went to bed like one thing and the next morning they woke up to be another. It just was what it was and neither one of them seemed eager to overthink this situation. Klaus wasn’t much of an over-thinker anyway. Diego’s touches were familiar and warm and calming - that was all that mattered to him. He felt safe in the hands of Number Two. 

"Yeah…" He huffed. "I think that’s the understatement of the year." Rickie’s trial would be in a few weeks. Bill was already behind bars. Turned out, he had been out on parole when he had attacked Klaus so it was right back behind bars for him. The attack in the parking lot was only a bit over a week ago and yet, it felt like a lifetime. Last month, he had been still with Grant, living in constant fear, living from one high to the next, eager to just numb himself so that he wouldn't understand and feel what was happening to him and now he was sober and had a home and someone who loved him enough to treat him well and take care of him. Sometimes it seemed like a fairy tale, only that his castle was a boiler room inside a boxing gym.

"I’m proud of you, though." Again, Diego allowed that soft hum to escape his throat. It was an intoxicating little sound, right from the back of his throat, like the purr of a cat, as he dug his fingertips into the sole of Klaus’ right foot.

"Without you, I wouldn't have been able to do this."

"Yeah, you would." Diego chuckled. " _ Eventually _ . Maybe not right now, maybe not even next year but sooner or later you would have. I am just glad that it's now." 

"You know,  _ Diego Hargreeves _ " Klaus mused quietly, turning his brother’s name over in his mouth, tasting it on his tongue and enjoying the way Diego squirmed under his scrutiny. "you are a fascinating man. People are constantly intimidated by you when you run around in all that sexy leather and bondage gear but underneath all of that you are just one big gooey marshmallow man."

Diego pinched his left foot in retaliation though not without a little chuckle. "Eat, you muppet."

He did as he was told and for the first time in years, he could actually eat without feeling like he would puke it all up again. It wasn’t much but just because Diego made it for him it was better than any first-class food cooked by some fancy chef could ever taste. Not for the first time, Klaus Hargreeves was glad that no one in his family was a mind reader. 

"You know what I would like even more than having breakfast?" Klaus asked with a grin like a Cheshire cat, knowing that it would throw Diego off-balance just enough.

"What?" And Number Two took the bait as he always did. For a second, he thought about how Diego once found him bawling his eyes out at age nine and how his brother tried to console him - not understanding that he was the reason why Klaus had bawled his eyes out. He had never told him that he had realized back then that he liked Diego not like he liked his other siblings and how it had turned his entire world on its head and thrown it into a blender.

" _ You  _ fucking  _ me  _ senseless." It was always nice to see how much Diego was able to change color when he was surprised and a bit embarrassed. "You promised you would as soon as my injuries were better."

"I know I did." Diego groaned. It didn't sound annoyed. It sounded  _ pained _ . Pained because Number Two was not exactly a patient man and Klaus knew that his blood was running hot ever since their first shared kiss in this room. That's why it was so easy to tease him. Diego had never been good at hiding his emotions and Klaus had always known how to get under his skin. Instead of ripping his clothes off as Klaus had hoped he would, however, Diego leaned in to steal a kiss from his lips. Admittedly, the kiss was deeper and hungrier to be just a cute ‘good morning’ peck on the lips but Diego’s fucking self-discipline made the man stand up from the bed next. 

"Eat." He ordered with a smirk. "And then we’ll see about the other thing." 

He watched Diego retreat to his kitchenette to clean up, stared at his ass as he walked and the swagger his brother undoubtedly put on only for him knowing that Klaus would watch him. What an asshole. Though not really hungry any longer, Klaus still resumed his breakfast, hurrying to wolf down the rest before he climbed out of the bed silently and placed the plate on the self-made nightstand. He was aware that Diego probably heard every move of his but the other man didn't show any sign of a reaction to Klaus approaching him from behind. He was able to walk up behind Diego in only his boxer shorts to snake his arms around his torso and press up against his back - certain that Diego could feel how interested the lower half of his body already was in all of this. 

A low hum escaped Diego’s throat as Klaus dragged his tongue over the side of his neck before he bit down where his neck met his shoulder. Diego didn't allow him this position long, however, as he turned around in the embrace and leaned against the counter with his back. A wicked little grin played on his lips and as Klaus tried to kiss it away, he just pulled his head back, making him chase his mouth instead before he gave in with a low chuckle. Diego quickly broke the kiss again, though.

"If you want it" Diego purred against his lips. "take it." He didn't need to point at his pants or give him another hint of what he meant and Klaus was way too eager as to draw this out any longer. Diego had already tested his patience for a week now. With a breathy chuckle, he slowly sank to his knees in front of the other man, never breaking eye-contact though, not even as he unzipped his cargo pants or as he reached inside, pulling down his boxers and pants just enough to reach where he really wanted to reach. Naturally, Diego did nothing to stop him and yet Klaus’ gaze was challenging the other man. However, as Diego reached out to him, it was not to stop him but to tangle his fingers into Klaus’ curls and shove his head forward, closer to Diego’s crotch.

"So eager all of a sudden?" He teased as he finally pulled out his cock. 

"Not sudden at all." Diego groaned as Klaus dragged his fingers slowly over his length. He had always suspected Diego to be on the bigger side and, of course, since they started showering together here at the gym, this theory had proven true but feeling him in his hand, the heaviness of him, the length, and the girth was something very much different.

"So in other words, you have the patience of a monk?"

"Apparently." He chuckled breathlessly. "But now my patience is running thin." 

It should feel weird, all of this. That was at least what his mind was telling him right at that moment as he finally had mercy on Diego and dragged his tongue over his flesh. It should feel weird. It didn't, though. The fact that it didn't feel weird was … weird in and of itself. Yet, he enjoyed it, this moment of utter satisfaction as he drew the first moan out of Diego’s throat as he closed his lips around his cock. Knowing that he could draw such elicit sounds from Number Two’s throat was beyond exciting. 

It was intoxicating almost, the way Diego tasted on his tongue. His brother’s fingers gave his hair a sharp little pull only to push him closer with another deep moan. He took him as deep as he could without actually gagging - because he didn't have to, because these times where he had to were over. Being with Diego like this was so different than everything he had experienced before with all those other guys he had fucked. For once, he didn't feel like Diego would force him to do anything. If he wouldn't be able or willing to deepthroat him it wouldn't be an issue, it wouldn't be forced onto him. To normal people, this wouldn't even occur or manifest as a thought but for Klaus, it had always been in the back of his head. As much as he had wanted to sleep with Diego since their first kiss, as much worry had clung to the back of his mind about it. 

"Klaus" Diego groaned and got him to look up again as he tugged at his hair. If it would have been possible for him to get any harder than he already was, seeing Diego like this, biting his lower lip and holding onto the kitchen counter with one hand to brace himself, would have done the trick certainly. "Stop." The warning was clear but that only caused Klaus to grin around his girth.

Klaus pulled off for a split second to mutter "You can come in my mouth, I don't mind" through numb lips and with a hoarse throat before wrapping his lips back around the head of Diego’s throbbing cock. Diego, however, seemed all too eager to prove his discipline even in a situation such as this as he gave Klaus’ hair another sharp tug and thus pretty much forced him to let go. Before he knew what was happening, however, Diego had already pulled him to his feet to smash their mouths together.

"Not like this." Diego breathed hotly against Klaus’ mouth as they parted just for a split second. Kissing Diego had already become somewhat of an addiction to Klaus. He couldn't go without it for five minutes or otherwise he was sure he would crumble into dust. Well, what could he say? He had an addictive personality. He had changed one drug for another. "We don't have to rush." 

Only then did it finally dawn on Klaus that Diego actually wanted to take his time with him, to make it special this first time they shared together. He felt a bit dirty for not thinking about it, for not considering that Diego was not one of the guys who used to bend him over and got what they wanted from him. 

Diego wanted to take his time. It was … weird. It was a foreign concept to Klaus that he didn't quite understand. He wasn't at home on this turf - but Diego was, apparently. Usually, he would have been frightened knowing that this was not one of his usual meaningless trysts with a nameless guy in a club but he felt safe with Diego inside this crappy boiler room apartment. He had always felt safe around Diego. Safe to be himself, safe to express himself, knowing that Diego would love him no matter what - if not as a lover than as his best friend at the very least. 

As if Diego could feel his sudden rush of uncertainty, he took over the lead as he pulled him in for another kiss. "I would carry you to the bed" He hummed against his lips and sent shivers down his spine. "I always fantasized about carrying you to bed but I think my knee wouldn't like that."

Klaus gave a weak little chuckle if only to play down what Diego’s words truly did to him. He would carry him, he said. No one had ever carried him. No one had ever looked at him like he was special. No one had ever touched him with so much tenderness.

"We have time." Klaus echoed Diego’s previous sentiment calmly as he grabbed him by the hand next and allowed Diego to pull him along - away from the kitchen and back to bed. 

Only seconds later, they were back in bed even though it seemed to have taken Diego excruciatingly long to get rid of all those clothes he was already wearing so early in the day. As he was buried underneath his brother’s weight, the rest of the world didn't seem to exist anymore outside of their little fortress. 

Just weeks ago, he would have never thought it possible that someone like him would ever get to experience something like this. As much as he couldn't get enough of Diego’s mouth, the other man seemed to feel the same way. Nothing else seemed important now as their naked bodies pressed together from head to toe as if it would be the most natural thing. A part of him wondered if that’s what it would have been like for them had they never chickened out during their teenage years. 

It seemed to take Diego more effort than it should as he pulled away from his lips only to slowly make his way down Klaus’ throat. His beard tickled the sensitive skin of his throat as Diego dragged his tongue over his adam’s apple and bit down gently as he reached his collarbone. Number Two took his sweet time as he was descending down on Klaus’ body like this and everything inside of Klaus screamed to tell him to stop and swap places. Wasn't it his fucking job to do this? That thought alone made him pause for a second. Maybe he was even more fucked up than he had originally thought.

"Dee" He moaned softly and wrapped one long leg around him, digging the heel of his left foot into Diego’s back to get his attention. "Dee, please … Stop torturing me."

"No" his brother huffed around his left nipple. "I have only just begun, Baby. When I’m done with you, you won’t know up from down anymore."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise." 

He couldn't help the soft moans that escaped his throat as Diego continued his way down. He had never been touched like this before. Men usually didn't care for his needs or what he might like but Diego was different. He seemed dead-set on exploring every valley and every hill of his torso, dipping his tongue here, biting there, worshipping every little bit of muscle and skin he found on his way down while Klaus was reduced to a trembling mess in the bedsheets he so desperately clung to with all his might. His breathing had already gotten so heavy it felt as if someone was sitting on his chest. It seemed to take ages for Diego to go south and when he finally reached his destination, he made a point of ignoring Klaus’ aching cock. His grin was that of a Cheshire cat - a clear sign that he spent too much time around Klaus - as he grabbed Klaus’ right leg instead to put if over his left shoulder. Excitement rose in his stomach as Diego leaned down again only to erupt in a sudden moan as Diego bit down on the tender flesh of his inner thigh so close to where he wanted his lips. 

Unlike Klaus, Diego had always been a man of honor, set on keeping the promises he would make. There was no question about how he was going to deliver now. Klaus watched mesmerized how Diego peppered featherlight kisses along his inner thigh up closer and closer towards his crotch before he dragged his tongue all the way back the path he just paved for himself. The next bite to his leg startled a yelp from Klaus and a chuckle from Diego. He didn't stop there, though. Instead, he wandered further down Klaus leg, peppering kisses and bites along the curve of his thigh, down to his knee and further down until he reached his ankle and then his foot. He stopped only as he reached his toes before he stopped and looked down on him with a look in his eyes as if he would see him for the first time.

"You are beautiful" Diego muttered quietly. "Do you even know that?"

Normally, he would have made a stupid joke here, a snarky comment, perhaps but he was breathless and unable to vocalize any thought he might have had at that moment. Just the way Diego said these words, with such bravery and honesty, made him speechless. Diego didn't expect an answer though, as it seemed. He let go of Klaus’ leg without warning, starling a laugh from his lips before he crawled back up to him to smash their mouths back together, forcing Klaus’ legs apart in his wake so wide that it almost hurt.

Everything after that was a blur. He hardly realized how Diego took the lube from his self made nightstand, barely heard the sound of the cap being undone. Nothing mattered except for Diego’s lips on his own or the strong hand that forced his legs apart even wider. He embraced the first finger his brother shoved into him like an old friend, the sensation as familiar as breathing by now. He took three fingers with ease, rocking against them to find a way to alleviate the heat that held his body in a tight vice and caused sweat to slowly drip down his forehead and run into his messy curls. They barely broke their kiss to breathe at this point and not even as Diego pulled his fingers out to replace them with his own cock. 

For once, there was not even the hint of pain as Diego entered him, only the sweet agony as Diego brushed against his prostate with the tip of his cock - sending jolts of electricity straight through him. His entire body seemed to mold around his lover, to welcome him, to embrace him as if he had been waiting for this moment for an eternity, as if they were made for this. 

Diego didn't rush, he didn't pound into him like a madman, didn't let his aggressive nature slip and make Klaus his own. It was soft and slow the way he thrust into him, deep and passionate all at once. He didn't forcefully claim Klaus as his own because they both knew Klaus had been his for a long time now. Briefly, in his delirious mind clouded by lust, he wondered if that was what people meant when they referred to sex as making love. He only knew the lustful, mindless rutting of two high-strung bodies under the cover of darkness - only knew fucking, never knew  _ this _ . 

He didn't even need Diego’s hand as it reached down to his cock as the moment his fingers touched his sensitive flesh, he already spilled all over his own stomach, kicking Diego over the edge as well as he convulsed around him.

Minutes later, he found himself lying next to Diego in their ruffled bedsheets and was still trying desperately to regain his breathing. He nuzzled his nose uselessly into the crook of Diego’s neck and watched idly how quickly his brother’s chest kept rising and falling, satisfied by the thought had he managed to do that to Diego. 

"I’ll be damned…" Klaus managed to breathe out through his teeth. Diego answered this sentiment with a breathy little laugh of his own and wrapped his arm tighter around his shoulders. 

"My thoughts exactly…" Diego then whispered as he grabbed Klaus’ hand that was resting on Diego’s stomach and laced their fingers together.

"I wouldn't have taken you for the after-sex-cuddling type…"

"Yeah" Diego shrugged. "I’m not … usually." 

"What's different?"

"Everything." 

They fell back into a comfortable silence after that, both chasing after their own thoughts for a little while until his brother startled next to him and sat up, forcing Klaus to slump miserably down back onto the mattress.

"I forgot something!" Diego explained and was already scrambling off his bed, pulling on his boxer shorts that he grabbed from the floor as he did. It should be a crime to cover that rock hard ass of Number Two. He was sure in ancient Greece it would have been a crime punishable by death to put clothes on that body. 

"Dee" He whined pathetically. "Dee the gym is not burning down yet … come back to bed."

But his brother didn't listen to him as he rushed up the stairs to his door and opened it. He half expected him to rush out never to return but Diego wasn't running from him. He leaned down to retrieve something from the ground just outside his door. That did pique his interest as Klaus lazily pulled the blanket around himself. It was cold without Diego. Whatever it was that Diego had grabbed, he seemed adamant to keep it a secret a little while longer.

"Close your eyes." Diego teased as he put the mystery item behind his back and closed the door again.

"Dee..."

"Nope, don't ‘Dee’ me. Close your eyes." With a sigh, he did as he was told and listened to his brother’s footsteps coming back down the stairs and to bed. He smiled a little as the bed dipped under Diego’s weight only seconds later. "Okay. Open them." 

When he opened his eyes this time, he was not presented with a huge bouquet of white roses or chocolate or anything else like this. The flowers that his brother held in his hands were mismatched and clearly came from some poor bastard’s garden and Diego had wrapped an old rubber band around the self-made bouquet to keep it together instead of some fancy satin ribbon or something. The flowers looked a bit miserable and as if they had been through a lot these past few hours and yet Klaus couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at that.

"I-I know … it's not … a lot or anything … I mean it's not like Rickie’s fucking bouquet of white roses but … Fuck … I don't know … it's stupid, right? Yeah, it's stupid. I’m throwing them away."

"What?" Klaus huffed and quickly ripped the flowers from Diego’s hands. "No, they’re mine and they are perfect." He laughed as he sniffed the flowers. He didn't even know half the names of them but it didn't matter anyway. What mattered was, that Diego, that cheap bastard, had raided someone’s backyard and stolen a bunch of flowers for him. What mattered was, that Diego was even willing to ask Sir Reginald Hargreeves for help to buy him something new to wear. 

"You like them?" Klaus was sure that he had never seen Diego as timid as he was now as he reached for him and brush his calloused fingers over Klaus’ cheek.

"I love them."

"More than a dozen roses?"

"I let you in on a secret."

"I know all your secrets."

"Not this one." Klaus chuckled. "I fucking hate roses." 

**-End of Chapter 10-**


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